Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jeremy Silman
International Master Jeremy Silman tied for first place in the 1990 National
Open tournament. He also tied for first place in the 1982 US Open. He is
a former Pacific Northwest Champion and a former Washington State
Champion.
Silman has written extensively about chess. He is the authorof16 books,
and his magazine articles have been published aJ1 over the world. He has
produced a video and a computer program. Silman now lives in Beverly
Hills, California.
Winning Chess
----.,.---- --
cs
asser Seirawa
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All other sales enquiries should be directed to Everyman Chess, Gloucester Mansions,
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
Glossary 235
Index 249
vi
Acknowledgments
Once again, I am much indebted to the many people who labored with
me on this effort. Thanks to Michael Franett for supplemental text and
finishing touches, and to Eric Woro for eagle-eye proofreading and edi
torial suggestions. And, of course, thanks to all the folks at Microsoft
and Online Press who saw this book through to completion, particularly
Tara Powers-Hausmann, Joyce Cox, Larry Powelson, Dean Holmes, and
Eric Stroo. You were all terrific.
vii
Introduction
n my first book, Play Winning Chess, I discussed the history of chess and
I introduced the basic rules and strategies of the game. Teaching chess to
beginners is an exercise in creativity. The teacher can go about the task
in myriad ways. Some teachers might explain the rules and how the pieces
move and then use the world's great chess games-especially their own
as examples. Others might focus on how to play certain openings or how to
checkmate. Though all of these methods may eventually lead to an under
standing of the basics, some methods produce Quicker results than others.
In Play Winning Chess, I chose the most direct path. I broke down the game
of chess into its four elements-force, time, space, and pawn structure
and showed how these elements can be combined to produce a number
of principles of play-principles I deduced from studying thousands of
master games. Understanding the four elements helps you understand the
moves of the masters and inspires you to formulate plans of action in your
own games.
After you've grasped the basics, it's time to go to the next level of chess
and explore the world of tactics. Only then can you fully appreciate the
beautiful combinations that a mastery of tactics allows you to create.
Whereas teaching beginner-level chess takes creativity, teaching tactics is
a matter of conveying classical knowledge. The teacher can package this
knowledge and spin it out in a variety of ways, but the knowledge is basi
cally the same.
Winning Chess Tactics won't teach you anything about tactics and
combinations that the chess world doesn't already know. However, I've
found that accessing this knowledge about these concepts can be anything
but easy. Few of the books that teach combinative play explain tactics and
combinations in an instructive manner. The rare exceptions tend to be for
advanced players, making a study of this subject rather difficult for those
ix
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
with less experience. In this book, I divide tactics into themes, which I
thoroughly explain and illustrate. Each chapter starts out with a discussion
of the basic forms of the theme and progresses to increasingly more
complex examples. This teaching technique allows for easy learning at the
lower levels but also continues instruction right up to the master class. My
goal is to enlighten beginner and tournament player alike!
Teaching for such a range of player strength has its drawbacks. For
example, I don't stop to explain every chess term that I need to use, and as
a result beginners will have it a little tougher here than in the first book. I
expect you to have some basic chess knowledge. In particular, you should
know the following:
satisfying to create them ourselves! And I hope this book will be the tool
that allows you this satisfaction.
While you are studying tactics and combinations, you might find your
self spending long hours alone, huddled over your chessboard. As soon as
you're ready, I advise you to get out and test your skills against those of
other chess enthusiasts. Though reading this book will not guarantee that
you'll win, it might start you on your way to a championship.
The sport of chess is remarkably well organized; in fact, very few sports
have such a large international network of players. Local clubs, states, and
national federations organize club championships, state championships,
and national championships. A scoring system of 1 point for a victory, \12
pointfor a draw, and 0 points for a loss allows contestants to gradually attain
Master, International Master and Grandmaster status. The 146 national
federations, including the us Chess Federation, all belong to the Federation
Internationale des Echecs (FIDE), which organizes the World Champion
ships. The World Championships are contested for millions of dollars; in
fact, the prize fund for the 1993 World Championship match is $4 million!
So join your local club, enter and win tournaments, and who knows, you
might manage to bag yourself a championship.
Happy hunting!
Yasser Seirawan
Seattle, Washington
xi
PART 1
Tactics and
Combinations
This part is the meat of the book. After defining tactics and combinations, I
break them down into themes thatI explain briefly before offering examples
that illustrate the "how to" and "why." Most of these examples are fairly
basic, but occasionally I throw in something more difficult to show how the
simplest tactic can be combined with another and yet another to produce
something mind-boggling_
your raw, paper-cut fingers can't turn another page, your bloodshot eyes see
only the hazy outlines of chess boards, and you begin to wish you had never
taken up the sport of chess! (Hmmm. . _ Perhaps I should get out of the
Definitions
know, definitions are boring. You'd probably just as soon skip them and
I jump right into a few juicy games. Be patient. Well get to the games
and some of them are beauties-soon enough. But before we delve into
the world of tactics and combinations, we should begin by defining them.
For some strange reason, these terms seem to cause confusion. Just what
are tactics and combinations? Surprisingly, coming up with a satisfactory
definition of these commonly used chess terms is more difficult than one
might suppose.
Tactics
Chess is a game of strategy where two people pit their wits by mobilizing
their pieces and developing plans based on such elements as force (the
numerical value of the various pieces), time (the efficiency with which the
pieces are developed), space (the territory controlled by each player), and
pawn structure. Good players like to pick a strategy and follow it to its logical
conclusion. Unfortunately, they're often thwarted by a strange randomizing
factor known as tactics.
Tactics can both support your own strategy and destroyyour opponent's
strategy. They take the wind out of general strategic plans because they
have the power to completely and advantageously change any situation.
Thus, we arrive at this definition of tactics:
Tactics are maneuvers that fLlke ailvanflJge ifshort-term opportunities.
3
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
For example, suppose your neighbor has invited you for dinner and an
evening of chess. You've enjoyed a scrumptious banquet, and the game has
been laced with heady amounts of port. Your neighbor must now face your
guillotine. Under no circumstances do you want to lose. Your strategy is to
control the center and prepare an inexorable Kingside assault. Who can
argue with the principle of such an approach? However, in the middle of
the plan, your opponent engineers a Knight fork that picks up one of your
Rooks. You're busted, and your game falls apart. A brilliant strategy
wrecked by a simple Knight fork. Where did you make your mistake? You
are the victim of a tactic. Clearly, you have lots to learn.
Conversely, you can use tactics to your advantage. They can act as an
early warning system that prevents your opponent from intruding on your
plans with tricks of his own. As you work through the lessons in this book,
you will come to realize that tactics are actually the guard dogs of strategy.
By staying on top of the tactical possibilities, you will be able to defend
yourself against your opponent's tactical forays and force him to follow the
strategic path you want him to tread.
Combinations
In the classical chess literature, there has been tremendous disagreement
as to the true meaning of the term combination. Surely the World Champion
Emanuel Lasker (he enjoyed a 27-year reign-()ne of the longest in history)
should know what a combination is! Let's take a look at his thoughts on the
subject:
In the rare instances in which the player can detect a variation, or set
of variations. which leads to a desirable issue by force, the totality of
these variations and their logical connections. their structure. are called a
combination.
Lasker's definition has several problems. however. First, his style is ponder
ous and does not promote an easy understanding of the term. Second. he
4
CHAPTER ONE: Definitions
Note Botvinnik's use of the word sacrifice. He is saying that the marriage
of a forcing series of moves with a sacrifice makes a combination. This
definition is easy to read and understand but falls short of the mark because
of the final few words, "gains an objective advantage."
Building on the efforts of these great men, I offer this simple definition:
A combination is a sacrifice combined with aforced sequence ofmoves,
which exploits SPecific peculiarities of the position in the hope of
attaining a certain goa/.
So we have managed to define the beast, but does this definition make
it easier for you to recognize a combination? Not at all! To develop a
feeling for combinations, we must break them down into types that you
can familiarize yourself with. I discuss each type in detail in the chapters
that follow.
5
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
At first I didn't want to agree with such a simplified view, but the more I
thought about it, the more sensible Averbakh's theory sounded.The double
attack is tremendously important, and I recommend that you spend a good
deal oftime going over the examples of double attacks in ChapterTwo. Once
you have mastered the material there and have moved on, you will notice
that the combinations in later chapters also involve double attacks, which
seems to confirm Averbakh's theory.
6
CHAPTER ONE: Delinitions
7
CHAPTER Two
A
double attack, as the name implies, is an attack against two pieces
or pawns at the same time. Beginning players quickly learn that a
simple attack against a single enemy piece or pawn can easily be
countered in a variety of ways. A better alternative is a simultaneous attack
against two pieces or pawns, only one of which can be defended by the op
ponent This type of attack is the basis for much of the tactical play in chess.
Although some experts maintain that a double attack must involve two
different pieces, I also consider forks (attacking two pieces or pawns with
just one piece or pawn) to be double attacks. In this chapter, we'll take a
look at three types of double attack:
• Discovered attacks
• Forks
• Attacks by a pawn
Discovered Attacks
A discovered attack is essentially an ambush. Here's a general definition:
A Queen, Rook, or Bishop lies in wait so that it can attack when
another piece or pawn of its own color moves out of its way.
Let's look at some examples.
9
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
10
CHAPTER Two: The Double Attack
11
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Discovered Checks
The most effective type of discovered attack involves checking the enemy
King. This type of discovered attack is even stronger if it includes a double
attack. Because of the check, the opponent is helpless to prevent the other
attacking piece or pawn from devouring its victim. Let's look at a few
examples of discovered checks.
If we do nothing but count points, the position in Diagram 5 appears to
be very good for Black. His Queen (9 points) outguns White's Bishop on a1
(3 points). However, instead of counting points, look carefully at the posi
tion. When White attacks the Black Queen with l.Ne4+, Black can't move
his Queen to safety because White's move also unleashes a discovered
12
CHAPTER TwO: The Double Attack
attack by the White Bishop against the Black King. This discovered check
is Black's doom. He must get out of check with 1. KgB, whereupon White
••
calmly eats the Black Queen with 2.Nxd2. White now has an extra piece
and a commanding 3-point advantage.
Diagram 6 shows another example of a crushing discovered check
attack. White plays the kamikaze l.Bh7+!, checking the Black King and
uncovering the Rook, which now threatens the Black Queen. Black would
dearly love to take the unprotected White Rook with I...Qxdl+, but the rules
won't let him leave his King in check. Poor Black is forced to play 1. Kxh7,
•.
after which 2.Rxd6 picks up the Black Queen and gives White a material
advantage.
By now you probably realize that it is not a good idea to leave your Queen
opposite a Rook, no matter how many pieces are between them!
One of the guiding strategic principles of chess is
When you are ahead in material, it is a good idea to make even trades.
Why? Because as the number of pieces you have on the board decreases, the
relative importance of a material advantage-even of only a pawn-increases.
13
PART l: Tactics and Combinations
14
CHAPTER Two: The Double Attack
Double Checks
The most powerful type of discovered attack is the double check. This type
of check tends to be very strong because it checks the King with two pieces.
The King is forced to move, and the enemy anny is thus frozen for at least
one move.
In Diagram 8, White is a pawn ahead, but appears to be on the verge of
defeat because his Rook is pinned by the Black Bishop. After Black captures
White's Rook. Black will be the one with the edge in material. White's
solution to the pin is LBd6++!-a double check. (Don'tforget that a pinned
piece is still able to check!) Black would love to capture the Rook or Bishop,
but his King is being attacked by two pieces, and he can't chop off both the
offenders at the same time. Black's best reply is L KgB. Then 2.Bxc5
••
breaks the pin and leaves White with an extra piece and pawn.
Diagram 9 is a silly but graphic example of a discovered attack turned
into a double check. Black is so far ahead in material that one would expect
White to give up and do something more enjoyable with his time. However,
instead of resigning, White plays LNg6++, and wonder of wonders... the
move produces double check and mate!
15
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
Now that you understand the basics of discovered attacks and double
checks, I'll give you the opportunity to try to figure out some tactics on your
own. The first few tests in the next section will be reasonably easy, but they
will get harder. In fact, some of them are very hard. Don't get discouraged
if you don't get all the answers! Instead, just relax, do your best, and study
the solutions given in Chapter Twenty-Four.
Tests
TEST 1. It's Black's move. White has given Black
the chance to capture his pawn on g2 with l...Rxg2.
Is this a trap? Should Black munch the g2-pawn?
If.
CHAPTER TwO: The Double Attack
17
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
Forks
Forks are tactical maneuvers in which a piece or pawn attacks two enemy
pieces or pawns at the same time. Many beginners think that only Knights
can accomplish forks. But in fact other pieces, including the King, are
capable of attacking two enemy men at the same time.
In this section, we'll look at how each piece can create a fork. In a later
section, I'll show you how pawns can create forks. Let's start with the
dreaded Knights!
18
CHAPTER Two: The Double Attack
Knight Forks
Most beginning chess players live in fear of the enemy Knights. However,
if you take the time to study the Knight's eccentric way of moving, you will
notice that the Knight can never attack squares of two different colors at the
same time. This knowledge can sometimes come in handy when you are
choosing where to put your men in the face of Knight threats.
Because of the Knight's unusual way of hopping around the board,
beginners are often taken by surprise and fmd themselves the victim of a
Knight fork. Here are some examples.
In Diagram 10, the force count is even, but White changes the situation
dramatically with l.Nc7+, forking both the King and the Rook. Black must
move his King, which allows2.Nxa8 and puts White ahead by a whole Rook.
The position in Diagram 1 1 revolves around the same theme. With
l.Nc7+, White attacks no less than four Black pieces-both Rooks, the
King, and the Queen-at the same time! (A fork that attacks the King and
the Queen is called a royal fork.) I've been the victim of this often enough.
When it happens to you, don't become "Knight phobic." Instead, consider
it a lesson well leamed and be sure in the future to defend yourself against
such possibilities.
19
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
Bishop Forks
In Diagram 12, Black has a material advantage, but it proves to be short
lived. With l.Bxc6+, White creates a fork-a double attack on both the
Black King and Knight. After 1 . Ke7 2.Bxe4, Black thinks he has
•.
Rook Forks
In Diagram 13, White shows that he knows how to use his Rook to fork with
l.Rb7+. After 1 . Kc6 2.Rxa7, the Rook has gobbled a Knight. White's
.•
20
CHAPTER TwO: The Double Attack
Queen Forks
Because the Queen moves like a Rook and a Bishop, it stands to reason that
the Queen can fork like either of these pieces, with even greater effect. From
the position in Diagram 14, the White Queen will show her power and
terrorize the whole Black army. White attacks with l.Qxe6+ Kf8 (no better
is l...Kds 2.QxgS+ Kc7.3.Qxa2)2.Qxc8+ (this Rook is the fork's first payoff)
2 Kg7. With 3.Qb7+, White creates a new fork that will add the Bishop
•••
to the Queen's feast. After 3 Kh6 4.Qxb6. White enjoys a 2·point ad·
•••
vantage-the Queen and a pawn (10 points) vs. a Rook and a Knight (8
points).
King Forks
In Diagram 15, Black is attacking the White Monarch, so the King must
move to get out of check. The interposition, l.Rc3??, would lose the Rook.
However, White can turn the tables with l.Kh3!, by which the White King
changes from the hunted to the hunter. This fork means the certain capture
of either Black's Knight or Rook. Black would be well advised to save his
more valuable Rook. As this example shows, even the stately King can fork
other hapless pieces.
21
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
Forks as Combinations
Now that you understand the fork as a tactic, we can take the next step and
see how this tactic can be changed into a combination. In Diagram 16, White
can take advantage of Black's unprotected Bishop and his checkable King.
With l.Qc2+, White wins the Bishop on c6, because Black must get his
King out of check before he can do anything else.
Nice and simple. Let's increase the difficulty level a bit with the position
in Diagram 17, which is similar to the one in Diagram 16. Here, Black's
Bishop is still unprotected on c6, but this time his King is safer. White could
try for a fork with l.Qc2, creating a double attack on g6 and c6. However,
Black could then defend himself with either l...Qe8, which guards both c6
and g6, or the retreat l...Be8. Clearly, White needs to take a more forceful
approach. The correct move is 1.Bxg6+!, whereby White sacrifices a piece
to create the position in Diagram 16. (The important word here is create. A
good player doesn't just sit around and hope that a tactic will materialize; he
uses every means at his disposal to make it happen.) Black now faces a
decision. If he doesn't take White's Bishop, it will retreat to safety, having
enjoyed its pawn snack. After 1. •• Kxg6 2.Qc2+, Black loses his Bishop on
c6 and ends up down one pawn in the Queen ending.
22
CHAPTER Two: The Double Attack
23
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
minds clamp shut rather than consider the possibility of sacrificing this
valuable piece. Does this reluctance to sacrifice mean that you will never
master combinations? Will you have to go through hours of brainwashing
or hypnosis to break down these mental barriers? Of course not! A large
part of chess skill is pattern recognition, and as you become more ac
quainted with the basic tactical forms, you'll find it easier to create combina
tions. The trick is to isolate and understand the various types oftactics. Only
then will you be able to put them all together to razzle-dazzle your stunned
opponent.
Here's another example. In Diagram 20, Black is down a pawn, but he
has been counting on this position to bring him victory. Triumphantly
playing 1. Nxb3, he looks his opponent in the eye and flashes a winner's
•.
smile. The move certainly looks powerful. Not only does it win back the
pawn, but Black's Knight now forks White's Rooks. Unfortunately for Black,
the move is actually awful. White calmly slides his Bishop to the middle
of the board with 2.Bd5+, after which it becomes apparent that Black has
walked into a more potent fork! Black's smile turns to a frown, and he
hangs his head in resignation. He has to lose his Knight because getting
out of check overrides all other considerations.
Imagine that the sad loser of the
position in Diagram 20 was stung by
the reversal he suffered in that game.
He was a good student of chess,
though, and he made a point of never
falling into the same trap twice. A
few weeks later, he is faced with the
position in Diagram 21 and has
another chance to chop off a b3-
pawn. Feeling very wise, he notes
that 1...Rxb3 would be a terrible
blunder because of 2.Bd5+. How
DIAGRAM 20. Black 10 play. ever, the simple 1...Nxb3 seems safe
24
CHAPTER TwO: The Double Attack
25
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
�
, - .1 1
1
i.lt ,�
L\i,
�
'-- •..
In Diagram 24, Black's pieces are hounding White's King, but Black
commits a cardinal sin. With 1 . . . Rb6+??, he makes a check without con
sidering the consequences. (The simple 1...Rc3 would have been a stronger
move.) White's King shows its muscle with 2.KcS! and makes contact with
all of Black's attacking pieces. Black is forced to give up either his Rook,
Knight, or Bishop, and he goes on to lose the game.
This game teaches an important lesson:
Never check just becauseyou can. Be sure that you gain from making
a check, not your opponent.
America'sfonner World Champion, Robert Fischer, once made a premature
check that spoiled a beautiful position that had taken him hours to create.
Afterwards he coined the 'phrase, ·Patzer sees check, patzer gives check!"
Here's one more example of a fork. In Diagram 25, Black is a pawn up,
but the position is still tricky. Hoping to use his extra pawn, Black plays
1 . d4+?,
•. thinking that this will place his d-pawn on a safer square while
defending his Knight on c3. White's reply comes as a shock: 2.Rxd4! Nxd4
3.Kxd4. Suddenly. White's King attacks Black's Rook, while two White
pieces, the King and the Bishop on el. go after Black's Knight. Black is
forced to part with another piece, giving White an advantage in material.
26
CHAPTER Two: The Double Attack
Now try some tests that involve forks. As usual, 1'11 start with easy
positions and then gradual1y increase the level of difficulty. Good luck.
Tests
TEST 9. It's White's turn to play. He is tempted to
grab the a4-pawn. Is this the best move?
TEST 10. White has two things going for him: the
possibility of a fork on e7, currently prevented by
the Black Rook on c7, and pressure against
Black's c6-pawn. Does White have any way to
make these advantages bear fruit?
27
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Seirawan-Costigan
US Open, 1977
Seirawan--Hessen
Seattle, 1 975
LipschUtz-SchaIlopp
London, 1 886
28
CHAPTER Two: The Double Attack
Tolush-Simagin
USSR, 1952
Bradford-Seirawan
US Championship, 1960
H. Borochow-R. Fine
Pasadena, 1 932
Who would guess that the player handling the Black pieces, Reuben Fine,
would become one of the world's greatest chess masters? Remember, good
players become good only after suffering lots of defeats. So take heart!
29
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
1 .e4 Nf6
Chess has been played for centuries, and records have been kept of the
strongest players' games. Over the years, opening schemes that have stood
the test of time have been given names. Openings have been named for the
nationality of players who championed their cause (Russian Defense,
French Defense, English Opening, and so forth) or for the place where
games featuring that opening were played (Merano Defense, Cambridge
Springs Defense, Catalan Opening, and so on). However, the most common
practice is to name an opening for the individual who introduced the scheme
into tournament play. After a millenium of chess games, entire en·
cyclopedias are now devoted to cataloging all the various openings! Black's
first move, 1...Nf6 in response to 1.e4 by White, is known as Alekhine's
Defense, in deference to former World Champion Alexander Alekhine, who
invented this opening. Black's strategy is to allow White to push his center
pawns, hoping that they will become overextended and turn into targets.
The strategy is a risky one.
2."S
The first example ofthe pawn's power: The little guy tells the mighty Knight
to scram. The Knight has no choice but to do as it's bidden, evidence of the
pawn paradox. The more valuable pieces cannot allow themselves to be
traded for a lowly pawn, so they must run from its slightest threat!
2 .. NdS
.
3.c4
White continues to kick the poor beast around.
3... NbG
4.d4 NcG??
A blunder. Black should have challenged White's center with 4...d6, which
would be the main line of Alekhine's Defense.
s.dS!
So it's a battle between Black's Knights and White's pawns. The mighty
steeds don't stand a chance!
30
CHAPTER TwO: The Double Attack
5...Nxe5
Black would also lose after 5...Nb4 6.c5 N6xd5 7.a3, with which White wins
a Knight.
G.e5 Nbe4
The slap· happy Knight has nowhere to run, so it's forced to step forward to
its doom.
7.f4
After several more moves, Black resigns.
Now that we have seen the pawns in action, we can take a look at their
virtues:
• If you trade a pawn for a piece, you get the better part of the deal.
Pawn Forks
Armed with this theoretical knowl·
edge, let's jump right into some
practical examples of pawn forks.
In Diagram 26, Black should play
l...dxe4 or l...Bb4, but instead he
makes a typical beginner's mis·
take: 1 . Bd6?? 2.e5! This pawn
..
31
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
By creating a pawn fork in Diagram 27, White has two ways of winning
material. One method is l .f4!, by which White threatens to play 2.fxe5,
thereby winning a pawn and forking two Black pieces. If Black answers
with either 1 . .. exf4 or 1 . ..exd4, then 2.eS leads to the desired fork. The
other possibility is l .dxeS! BxeS 2.f4, which threatens Black's Bishop.
The cleric's only retreat, 2 Bd6. is smashed by 3.eS and another fork.
•••
These examples make it clear that pawns are a menace. If you can't
completely eradicate the critters, you must respectfully tiptoe around them.
Don't make them mad: They obviously bite!
32
CHAPTER TwO: The Double Attack
Tests
TEST 1 7. It's Black's tum to play. Would l...Qg5
be a reasonable move?
33
CHAPTER THREE
The Pin
W
hen you attack a piece that your opponent cannot move without
losing a different piece of greater value, you are pinning the
first piece. When the piece of greater value is the King, this
tactic is called an absolute pin; when it is not the King, the tactic is called a
relative pin. Clearly an absolute pin is a far more serious threat than a relative
pin because your opponent absolutely cannot move the pinned piece. (Put
ting his own King in check is illegal.)
'il1e pin is one of the most common tactics used in chess, so you should
study it very carefully. Bear in mind that any piece is vulnerable to a pin, but
only a Queen, Bishop, or Rook can do the pinning-a King, Knight, or pawn
can only play the victim. Let's look at the absolute pin first.
Absolute Pins
Pins occur during all phases of the
game, but they are most common in
the opening. An example of a typical
absolute pin in the opening is as
follows: l .e4 e5 2.Nf3 Ne6 3. Nc3
d6 4.Bb5. The result is shown in
Diagram 29. Black's Knight on c6
can't move because White's Bishop
would then attack Black's King.
Should Black panic at the first sign
of such a pin? No, the Knight is we))
protected by the b7-pawn, and its
DIAGRAM 29. Black to play.
capture by the White Bishop would
35
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
simply lead to an even trade. Because of this, Black can play 4 ••• a6, asking
White what he intends to do with his Bishop. VVhite then has to decide
whether to trade pieces with 5.Bxc6+ bxc6 or to retreat with 5.Ba4 and
allow Black to break the pin with 5 .••b5.
If Black doesn't want to weaken his Queenside pawns, he would be
wiser to play 4... Bd7 instead. This move gives the Knight an extra defender
and simultaneously breaks the pin.
Although this particular pin does not prove to be fearsome, an absolute
pin can have a powerful impact on many positions. Pins are particularly
useful in fixing a piece on a vulnerable square so that it can he won at your
leisure. Pins can also prevent a piece from taking part in an offensive or
defensive maneuver elsewhere on the board.
Diagram 30 picks up the previous example where we left it. White has
played the useful move d2-d4. Black has squandered a move with the awful
a7-aS and has lost the important a7-a6/b7-b5 pin-breaking possibility.
Taking advantage of the situation, White now plays l .d5. The poor Black
Knight is unable to run away from the pawn, and White wins a piece. It's
that simple. Don't let a pin freeze your pieces on doomed squares.
Here's another opening sequence that commonly occurs in the games
of beginners: l .e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5.
Black's frrst two moves are known as
I the Scandinavian Defense. It is not a
good choice for an opening. (Devel
oping your Queen too early in the
opening is very dangerous because
enemy pieces can then develop with
gain of tempo by attacking her.)
White plays 3.Nc3, the first gain.
Black, who must move his Queen
and avoid the horse's kick, plays
3 . Qc6??, a rotten move. (Best would
. .
36
CHAPTER THREE: The Pin
White with only a small opening advantage.) White responds with 4.Bb5!,
and the position is now as shown in Diagram 31.
It's only the fourth move, but Black has already lost his Queen, which
is attacked by the Bishop. Playing 4. . . Qxb5 allows 5.Nxb5, but Black can't
move his Queen to safety because it is pinned to his King. Black has no
choice but to accept the loss of his most powerful piece for a mere Bishop
(9 points for 3 points). A devastating absolute pin.
Black has a good position in Diagram 32, but is faced with temptation.
Should he capture the hanging White Knight on e5? A snack of a free piece
worth 3 points is always desirable. However, the answer in this case is a
resounding No! Playing 1 . . .Qxe5? loses the Black Queen after 2.Rel,
because the Queen is pinned to her King. The moral:
Look carefully before you take any "free" gifts/rom your opponent. He
may have prepared a clever trap!
You might have noticed that pins can be executed only by straightcline
pieces (Queens, Rooks, and Bishops) . Because of this, you should always
be careful about putting vulnerable targets on the same line. Conversely,
when your opponent puts potential targets on the same line, look for pins!
Experienced players develop a real sensitivity Cor this kind of mistake.
For example, one of the first things a master would notice about the position
37
PART 1 : Taclics and Combinalions
shown in Diagmm 33 is that Black's Knight and King are both on the a4-e8
line. White's Queen can show her pinning powers with l .Qa4!. Black's
Knight is then pinned to his King, and no Black piece can defend it.
The position in DiagmID 34 iIlustmtes how one pin can lead to another.
White plays 1.Bxe6!, pinning the Rook on f7 to the Black King-an absolute
pin. Black would like to take this impudent Bishop prisoner, but his d7·pawn
is caught in a relative pin by White's Rook on dl. Black plays 1 . .. dxe6,
whereupon 2.Rxd8+ wins the Black Queen. Black has fallen victim to a pin.
Let's make sure you've understood everything. The following tests
feature pins, though I might have thrown in a ringer that features a fork.
Tests
TEST 20. It's White's tum to play. Black is pouring
the pressure on White's center. How can White
use an absolute pin to get to Black's King?
38
CHAPTER THREE: The Pin
Seirawan-Wiedenheller
Norway, 1979
Stahlberg-lundin
39
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Ed. Lasker-Aualla
New York, 1 947
40
CHAPTER THREE: The Pin
Relative Pins
Relative pins, in one form or another, come about in most games. For
example, l.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 produces a relative pin when the
Black Bishop pins the White Knight to the White Queen. Then after 4.d4
e6 5.e5 Bb4, we have an absolute pin. The difference between the two pins
is that White can move the Knight on f3 (though he would have to accept
the loss of his Queen after ...Bxdl). However, he can't move the Knight on
c3. This Knight's inability to move isn't a maner oftaste or desire; it's simply
iUegal. You cannot give your King away�
In Diagram 35. White is applying pressure on Black's c5·pawn, but the
pawn is protected and everything seems to be under control. White proves
otherwise and plays Nxb4! to take advantage of the pin on the gl-a7
diagonal and win a pawn. This relative pin is fairly common. Black could
capture on b4, but White's reply of Bxb6 would only make matters worse.
Obviously, a relative pin is not as lethal as an absolute pin, so don't
be surprised if the pinned piece moves. For a good example of a relative
pin gone bad, let's look at a famous position from Philidor. After
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 a6? (a horrible waste of time) and 4.Bc4 Bg4??, Black
has pinned White's Knight as shown in Diagram 36 and is secure in the
,... lSI ,
" t A, .t
.t.
it
, .
41
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
..
- ! .t . ..
- � ' .
1 it" 11 ,1 1
1� � .1 f f _ 1 .t. I
1 1 1 ft £1 1
ft .tJ ft
ft ft ft ft
� ft � ft
§ � § \'t>
DIAGRAM 37. Whit. to play. DIAGRAM 38. Black to play.
knowledge that the horse is not going anywhere. However, he's in for a rude
awakening, White plays 5.Nxe5!!. breaking the pin but exposing the White
Queen to danger. If Black takes the Knight with 5...dxe5, then 6.Qxg4 wins
Bxdl ? 6.Bxf7+
a clean pawn. Undaunted, Black goes for the big meal: .••
Ke7 7.Nd5 Checkmate. Black won the Queen but lost his King.
From this example, it's clear that the hold of the relative pin cannot be
taken for granted. Never assume that the pinned piece won't move,
The relative pin is most successful when an important piece is immedi
ately threatened, Diagram 37 illustrates such an attack. Black's Knight on
c6 is pinned because his Rook on a8 sits on the same diagonal as White's
g2-Bishop. White has to take advantage of this opportunity; otherwise, Black
will play ...Rad8. and the pin will no longer exist. White plays l .b5. attacking
the c6-Knight. Rather than lose the Knight, Black will do best to move it to
safety with 1 ... Ne7 and allow 2.Bxa8, because then 2 Rxa8 1eaves Black
...
down only the Exchange. A loss of 2 points is much better than the 3-point
deficit that results from the capture of the Knight.
Another advantage of the pinning tactic comes about when the defend
ing player is unable to break the pin. He is then stuck nursing the pinned
piece and must meekly wait for more pressure to be applied. For example,
in Diagram 38, Black would love to move his Knight to safety with LNd7,
42
CHAPTER T.-.REE: The Pin
but because of the pin, 2.Bxd8 would lop off his Queen ifhe did so. A Queen
move like 1 ... Qc7 simply hangs the Knight, so Black tries to give the horse
extra support with 1 . .. Kg7. With this move, he hopes to gain the time to
play 2 ... Qc7 followed by a Knight retreat of 3 ... Nd7 or 3 .. NgS, which will
.
break the pin. Being careful not to let Black off the hook, White increases
the pressure with 2.Qh4 (2.Qc3, with an absolute pin on the al-h8 diagonal,
is also very strong). Black is then completely helpless to prevent 3.Rfl
followed by 4.Bxf6, which captures the pinned Knight. This example shows
why pins are to be feared!
Remember, when a pin is working, look for ways to increase the
pressure on the target. You may not be able to find any, but the possibility
should always be considered.
Now try your hand at the following tests, which focus on relative pins.
Tests
TEST 27. Il's White's tum to play. Is Black's posi·
tion as safe as it seems? Notice that Black's Queen
on d7 is undefended. How can White take ad·
vantage of this?
43
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
44
CHAPTER THREE: The Pin
45
CHAPTER FOUR
The Skewer
A
skewer has bee!] likened to a pin in reverse. With a pin, the
attacker's objective is to win the pinned piece or the more valuable
piece behind it. With a skewer, the attacker's objective is (0
threaten a valuable piece so that it is forced to move, allowing the capture
of a piece behind it.
The position in Diagram 39 illustrates two skewers. White's Bishop
on ds is skewering Black's Rook and Knight, while White's Rook is
skewering Black's King and Rook. (If we were to invert Black's two Queen
side pieces and place his Knight on c6 and his Rook on b7, we would have
a pin instead of a skewer.) Although Black is a Rook ahead in the starting
position. he will finish up on the short end of the material count. First, his
priceless King is in check and is
forced to move with 1. ..Kg6. White ,
responds with 2.Rxf8, capturing
the skewered Rook. But Black's
problems aren't over. He is destined
to lose even more material because
of the other skewer by the Bishop.
After Black moves the Rook on c6,
his Knight is lost.
Now let's cement our u nder
standing of the skewer with a few
more examples.
DIAGRAM 39. Black to play.
47
PARI 1 : Tactics and Combinations
48
CHAPTER FOUR: The Skewer
Tests
TEST 34. What is White's best move?
49
CHAPTER FIVE
• •·w • eo • ••.••
�• • • • • • w· .' . w-'
w";' ., • • • • • • •
• • _\1r•• - •• ax.. ..... . ... ..,. -a a.• • •.,.
King Tactics
and Combinations
f you've been attentive, you'll have noticed by now that many tactics
I are made possible by a weakened or open King. You can ignore an attack
on a Knight or Bishop; you can toss your Rooks to the winds; you can
sacrifice your Queen; but your King is indispensable. Lose it and the game
is over. Because of the finality associated with the King's demise, it stands
to reason that several tactics and combinations revolve around this impor
tant piece. In this chapter, we will look at tactics and combinations based on
stalemate, perpetual check, the destruction of the King's cover, and back
rank checkmate.
Stalemate
At times, you will feel that your opponent is picking you apart. First he
devours all your pawns; then he dines on a minor piece or two; and finally
he carves up your Rooks and Queen. You're left with almost nothing at all...
a few survivors and a prayer. At this point in the game, a stalemate can
become very useful.
A stalemate occurs when it's your tum to move but you don't have a
legal move to play. When this happens, the material count becomes mean
ingless, and the game is declared a draw. In tournament chess, a win is
worth 1 point, a draw is worth half a point, and a loss is worth a rather round
zero. When your back is against the wall, you will want to try to trick your
opponent into capturing more than he should so that you can force a
stalemate that will allow you to salvage a critical half-point
51
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
52
CHIIPIER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
stalemate. and 2.Kh6 Rh5+! forces White to chop off the Rook) . Play contin
ues with 2... Rf4+! 3.Kg3 Rtl+!. Black keeps checking on the f-file until
White tires of the chase, captures the Rook, and allows the stalemate.
Here's another example. In Diagram 46, Black is down two pieces.
Normally, he would be tempted to resign the game. Once again though,
we have the potential of a stalemated Black King. Because the Queen is
the only remaining active member in his army. Black hastens to rid himself
of her. 1 . .. Qh2+!! 2.Kxh2 and 10 and behold, draw by stalemate! So we
have a moral here:
Ifyou are in real trouble but notice thatyour King has no moves, cheer
up and look for a stalemate!
53
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
£1
54
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
Tests
TEST 37. It's Black's turn to play. How can he
save himself?
55
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
8ernstein-Smyslov
Groningen, 1946
56
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
Evans-Reshe\'Sky
New York, 1963
Perpetual Check
Another way for a losing player to save an otherwise hopeless position is to
engineer a perpetual check. This situation comes about when one player
repeatedly places his enemy's King in check. The King is harassed back
and forth and is unable to escape the series of checks. When a sequence of
57
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
moves results in the pieces moving back and forth on the same squares and
in the exact same positions three times, the game is called a three time
repetition ofposition and is declared a draw.
Diagram 50 shows a simple case of a perpetual check. Black threatens
to checkmate White with 1...Rb8+ or 1...Rf1+, so White must scramble to
save himself. Fortunately, an easy draw is available with 1 .Qg6+ Kh8
2,Qh6+ KgB 3,Qg6+, when the original position is repeated. After three
repetitions, either player can claim a draw.
Diagram 51 is another common example of a perpetual check. Black is
about to execute the enemy King, but White is able to survive by repeatedly
checking Black's monarch. By keeping Black busy with checks, White
prevents his opponent from lowering the axe elsewhere on the board. A draw
by perpetual check results after 1 .Rg7+ Kh8 2.Rh7+ Kg8 3.Rhg7+!. (This
check is with the correct Rook. A terrible mistake would be 3.Rdg7+??,
because Black could then cross the d-file with 3...KfS 4.Rf7+ KeS 5.Re7+ Kds
6.Rd7+ Kc8, and then 7.Rc7+ would be met with 7...Qxc7, the winning move
for Black.) The game continues with 3...Kf8 4.Rgf7+ Ke8 5.Rfe7+, and
because Black can't cross the barrier on the d-fiIe, he must return to the
Kingside and allow the perpetual attack on his King.
58
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
'I e
1
1 1t
.1
�
59
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Tests
TEST 44. It's White's move, and he is down a
Rook. Is it time to give up? Or can he hang on?
60
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
Crigorian-Jurtaev
USSR, 1 979
Domuis-Staennan
USSR, 1 978
61
PART 1 : Taclics and Combinalions
.. ..
_ V,
-
1 1
.ft. I
I
§
. " �; '§ Yfy
DIAGRAM 55. While 10 play. DIAGRAM 56. White to play.
2.Rhl produces checkmate. The fact that White is down a Queen in the
final position is meaningless. In fact, a Queen sacrifice that leads to check
mate is most satisfying. Try it yourself sometime.
Diagram 57 is a famous example of a King being forced into hostile
territory. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful combinations.
Black plays 1 •.• Qxh3+ !!, giving up his Queen but dragging the White King
forward into the jaws of doom. Play continues with 2.Kxh3 Rh6+ 3.Kg4.
62
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
(Running up the board with his King isn't what White wants to do, but he
has no choice.) Now 3 ••• Nf6+ 4.Kf5 leads to the paradoxical 4 Ng4!!.
•••
Black blocks the White Rook from participating in the defense and threatens
the killing ... RfB+. Both S.fxg4 Rf8+ and 5.K.xg4 Rg8+ 6.Kfs Rf6 lead
to checkmate. This example shows how formidable Rooks are as hunters
when a King is opened up.
A common mistake made by beginners is thinking that the enemy King
is in trouble when it has been drawn only to the second rank. Sometimes,
the King is indeed in trouble, but usually it can simply step back into its
original position. Faced with the position in Diagram 58, many a White
player has tried l .Ng5 h6 2.Nxf7?! Rxf7 3.Bxf7+ K.xf7. This isn't a good
maneuver for White. Black's King can easily step back to safety with 4 . .Kg8. .
and though the material count is even (6 points vs. 6 points) . two pieces are
usually considered superior to a Rook and a pawn in the middlegame.
because two pieces represent two strong attacking units vs. the Rook's one.
(The extra pawn is only useful in an endgame.)
63
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
If you want to be successful with a capture on f7, you must draw the
King even further into the center of the board. Diagram 59 offers a lively
illustration of how to do this. We have seen how dangerous it is for a King
to be drawn out into the open. Here, White finds a novel way of inviting
Black's King to come to the party: 1 .Bxf7+! Kxf7. The King has poked his
head out the door. However, ifhe can go back into his hole with ...Kg8, then
White's sacrifice will have been in vain. It's time to grab him and pull him
into the open. White plays 2.Qe6+!!, offering up his Queen as well! Now
Black's retreat with 2. .Kf8 10ses to 3.Ng5, and 4.Qf7 Checkmate is hard to
.
stop. Black decides to take the gift and steps into the middle of the board
with 2 Kxe6. The response: 3.Ng5 Checkmate!
•.•
64
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
check could easily result in checkmate. All the attacker has to do is find a
way to break into his majesty's chambers. One of the good points of l...Rds
is that it gives the King access to the gB-square, thus ending any worries
about the type of massacre we just witnessed. The moral is:
Try to keep the pawn cover in front ofyour King intact and be sure
your King has room to breathe.
Tests
TEST 48. It's White's move. Black's King is nice
and snug behind his pawns. What can White do
to change things?
65
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Edward Lasker
Sir George Thomas
London, 1911
66
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
it strikes fear into the hearts of experienced players. As a result, moves such
as h3 and ...h6 or g'3 and ... g6 are quite common. In chess terms, moves like
these are called making luft. (Luft is a German word meaning air.) Giving
the King "air" (room to breathe; in other words, an escape square) elimi
nates the back rank problem once and for all.
Our first example (Diagram 61) shows how to avoid a back rank
checkmate by making luft. Black threatens to checkmate White on the back
rank with l...Rcl Checkmate or 1...Rel Checkmate. How can White prevent
his King's demise? Ifhe plays l.Ral, his Rook will be stuck on the back rank,
playing nursemaid to the King. The usual method of dealing with Black's
back rank checkmate threat is for White to move one of the pawns that
imprison his King, playing either 1.h3 or 1.g3. However, before deciding on
this course of action, White must consider what the other Black pieces are
doing. Here, l.h3 still allows l...Rcl Checkmate, because Black's Bishop is
controlling the h2-square. The correct move is Lg3, which limits the scope
of Black's Bishop and gives the King the comfortable g2-square to run to.
The simple goal of trapping a cornered King on the back rank is the
driving force behind many combinations. Diagram 62 illustrates a common
back rank checkmating sequence. Black seems to be defending his back
67
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
11 Whiteforcescheckmatewith l ...Rxe8
•
2.Rxe8 Checkmate .
In Diagram 63, Black's }(jng is
68
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
he's in for a surprise. Play proceeds: l.Qd6 Bd7! 2.Qxd7?? White snaps
up the Bishop because he thinks the extra piece will lead to an easy win.
To his surprise, he loses his Queen when Black plays 2 •••Rd8!. Suddenly
the roles are reversed! Black is pinning the White Queen to the opposite
back rank, and Queen moves, such as 3.Qxb7, allow 3,..Rdl+ followed by
checkmate.
If, after l.Qd6
Bd7!, White notices the rude trap that Black has set, he
might try 2.Qxf8+ Rxf8 3.Re7 in the hopes of getting a good endgame.
However, Black can still use a pin and take advantage of White's weak back
rank to make life easier for himself with 3 Re8!. Then 4.Rxd7?? ReI is
•••
69
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Tests
TEST 53. It's Black's move. Seeing that White's
Rook cannot penetrate his position because the
e8-square is defended three times, Black is tempt
ed to play l...Rxa2 and grab a material advantage.
Should Black take this pawn?
70
CHAPTER FIVE: King Tactics and Combinations
71
CHAPTER SIX
.•.•
. .•.•.•.
' •.
•' .....
...�.*
'._t_,
'. ._
;.�
. ..,.....
. . '.a·a '. �
. .•.• ; •
Deflection
A
t times, you might find yourself on the brink of victory, except that
your opponent clings to life as hard as he can. As often as not, his
tough defense is made possible by one hard-working piece that is
somehow holding everything together. To break down such a position, you
need to chase the defender away from the critical area in the hopes that
the defense will then fall apart Preventing the main defending piece from
performing its duties usually reduces the opponent's army to chaos. This
concept is the basis of the tactic known as deflection.
The concept of the overworked piece is, to my mind, virtually the same
as the concept of deflection. An overworked piece is one that is asked to do
too much: The piece performs double duty, if you will. All you need to do is
pull it aside, at which point its duties will be left undone.
Here's an example. In Diagram
66, Black is behind a pawn and, un
derstandably, wants to get back his
lost material. He plays 1 . Qxb2??
••
73
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
because Black has no choice but to play 2 BfB. Then after 3.Qxb2, his
..•
also appears safe, until you consider that this Rook is the Queen's only
". •
1 1
1·
74
CHAPTER SIX: Deflection
after 2.Rxh 7 +!, when his King is forced to abandon the defense of his lady.
The game continues with 2 ••• Kxh7 3.Qxf7+, and then-horror of hor
rors-Black loses everything because his King and Rook are forked!
In all of these examples, the defender's mistake was relying on his pieces
to defend one another. Of course, pieces are capable of defense, but some
times you have to be careful that your defending piece doesn't become the
victim of a deflection tactic.
So far, we've looked at simple cases of deflection and overworked pieces.
But this tactic can occasionally produce very involved, exquisite combina
tions. The position in Diagram 70 on the next page is one of the most
beautiful examples of an overworked piece and the art of deflection. It is
a classic.
Black's Rook on e8 is under pressure from White's Rooks, but Black's
Queen seems to be holding everything together. Noticing that Black is
75
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
76
CHAPTER SIX: Deflection
Tests
TEST 57. It's White's move. The only defender of
the Black Knight is the Bishop on d6. How can
White take advantage of this position?
Hjorth-l.undin
Molala, 1 946
Seirawan-Sulsky
Vancouver, 1981
77
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Seirawan-Henley
Memphis, 1976
78
CHAPTER SEVEN
Battery on an Open
File or Diagonal
A
s you gain experience, you11learn that open files and diagonals are
crucial for Rooks and Bishops if you want them to play an active
part in the game. Many players don't realize the advantages of
reinforcing control of files and diagonals by doubling the pieces on these
open lines. By putting two Rooks on a file or a Queen and a Bishop on a
diagonal, you can create situations where the lead piece can make excur
sions into enemy territory under the watchful protection of its backup piece.
(Because the Queen and the Rooks move in similar ways, it's sometimes
even possible to triple on a file, though not on a diagonal.) Doubling on a
file or diagonal is known as creating a battery. Batteries are the powerhouse
punches of chess, and any opportunity to create one must be carefully
cultivated.
79
PART 1: Tactics and Combinations
By playing l .Rd7 in Diagram 71, White forks the h-pawn and b-pawn.
He also ties down Black's King on the 8th rank. The difference between the
potential activity of the two Rooks is now striking. Always do your best to
ensure the activity of your Rooks. Too often, players try to develop their
Bishops, Knights, and Queen but do little to bring their Rooks into the battle.
As strong as a Rook on the 7th rank is. doubled Rooks on the 7th are even
stronger. Often called pigs on the 7th, doubled rooks on the 7th rank attack
the enemy pieces with the ferocity of wild boars. Such colorful expressions,
whatever their origins, certainly help impress upon us how powerful these
Rooks become. In Diagram 72, White plays l.Rd7, and if Black defends his
h-pawn with 1 . KgS, then 2.Ree7 obliterates him. Here's an example:
••
80
CHAPTER SEVEN: Battery on an Open File or Diagonal
81
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
62
CHAPTER SEVEN: Battery on an Open File or Diagonal
83
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Tests
TEST 62. This position is an example of a discov
ered attack made possible by the battery of
White's Rooks on the open d-file. It's White's
move. How can he best take advantage of the
situation?
84
CHAPTER SEVEN: Battery on an Open File or Diagonal
85
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
86
CHAPTER SEVEN: Battery on an Open File or D iagonal
Tests
TEST 66. Black has a material advantage of two
Knights vs. a Rook, for a I-point edge. What can
White play to show the power of his Bishops?
67
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
88
CHAPTER EIGHT
• •.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•�
•.•�
•.�
•�
• •.
�
I As the game progresses and pieces are traded, a change takes place. The
pawns, acting like salmon, try hard to swim up the board and realize their
potential for promotion. The legendary Grandmaster Aaron Nirnzovich called
this activity "the pawn's lust to expand." Without a doubt, the "queening of
a pawn" is a momentous occasion, and being able to participate in this ritual
is worth a great expenditure of time and materiaL In the following diagrams,
the goal is to sacrifice material-the hallmark of a combination-so that a
pawn will receive its promotion.
In Diagram 84, White can entertain hopes of winning if he can promote
his lone remaining pawn to a Queen. He plays l.f7. Black will do anything
to stop the promotion, including sacrificing his Bishop, so he responds with
1 . . . Bc5. Now White can win a piece with 2.Bg7 followed by 3J8+Q, but
after 3... Bxf8, White will be left with only one piece. The result will be a draw
because a King and a Bishop cannot
checkmate a lone King. So instead of
scooping up Black's Bishop, White
plays 2.Bd4!, sacrificing his own
Bishop to promote his pawn. This
move is an immediate winner be·
cause 2...Bxd4 allows 3.f8�Q, and
White's King and Queen can easily
overcome Black's King and Bishop.
Note that Black's Bishop can't es
cape with 2... Bd6 because of the ab
solute pin.
DIAGRAM 84. White to play.
89
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
90
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Power of Pawns
When a pawn is unopposed on a file and no enemy pawn can impede its
advancement by capturing it, then the pawn has achieved the exalted status
of a passed pawn. We have seen how important it is to queen your passed
pawns before your opponent can queen his. Often, though, your pawns
will not be passed, and you will be forced to find ways to get them by the
enemy's sentries.
Diagram 87 is a classic example of how to sneak a pawn through. Both
players have exactly the same set of pawns, and it is hard to imagine either
side creating a "passer." However, White can force one of his pawns through
using a sequence of moves called a breakthrough combination. White sacri
fices two pawns to get one promoted. Here's how he does it 1.g6! hxg6
(1...fxg6 2.M! g x h 6 3.f6 queens the f-pawn) 2.f6!, threatening 3.fxg7.
Black is forced to capture with 2 gxf6. White plays 3.h6, ensuring that
•••
his newly passed pawn will be queened. Although Black now has con
nected passed pawns, they are much slower than White's pawn, which is
farther up the board.
The breakthrough combination works only if your pawns are closer to
queening than your opponent's. (Note that if it were Black's move in
91
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Diagram 87, he would be able to dash all White's hopes because l...g6!
2.hxg6 hxg6 creates an impenetrable blockade.) You should commit the
position in Diagram 87 to memory because it occurs often in the games of
chess masters.
The important breakthrough combination comes in various sacrificial
forms. Often a piece will sacrifice itself so that the pawns can get a running
start. Let's take a look at a simple illustration. In Diagram 88, White wins by
blowing away the Black pawns that are blockading his own pawns with
l.Nxf6! gxf6 (if Black doesn't capture the Knight, White plays 2.Nh5
followed by 3.Nxg7) 2.g7, leading to the coronation of the g-pawn.
The next example shows the breakthrough combination in a more
complicated setting. Diagram 89 is a mixture of the concepts presented in
Diagrams 87 and 88. Black's pawn on g3 is the closest one to queening,
but at the moment, it is finnly blocked by its White counterpart By sacri
ficing a piece, Black sets off a chain reaction: 1 . Nxd5+! 2 .exd5 e4!
••
(Black threatens to free the g-pawn with 3...exf3 4.gxf3 g2 and a queening)
92
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Power of Pawns
3.Nc4 (another hopeless move is 3ixe4 f3! 4.gxf3 g2, which also gives
Black's King a new bride) 3 . .exf3 4.Nd2 f2! (a key move; the alternative
.
4...fxg2?? 5.Nf3 is a bad mistake that leaves Black's pawn firmly blocked
by the Knight) 5.Kd3 f3 ! (finally, White's important g2-blocker is de
stroyed) 6.gxf3 (if White plays 6.Nx f3, then fl=Q produces an instant
Queen) 6 g2. At last, Black's pawns have forced their way through. White
...
resigns.
Now let's look at some tests that involve breakthrough combinations.
Good luck!
Tests
TEST 70. Black can't win with ...Bb6, ... Bgl, and
... Bxh2. Can you fmd the move that produces
immediate results?
Skuratov-Sveshnikov
USSR, 1 969
93
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Spassky-larsen
Palma d. Mallorca, 1 969
Svacina-H. Muller
Vienna, 1 941
Underpromotion
After a long grueling march up the board, the pawn's reward for its efforts
is tochoose which piece other than a King it wants to become. Nine times
out of ten, the pawn will want to become a Queen. However, on rare
occasions it will opt to change into a less valuable piece. When a pawn
chooses to become a piece other than a Queen, it is using a tactic called
underpromotion. The main reasons for this decision are to avoid stalemate
or to try for a Knight fork. Let's start with avoiding stalemate.
In Diagam 90, White would love to make a Queen with l.c&=Q, but he
notices that this move leads to a stalemate. Not wishing to throw away his
obviously winning advantage, White instead plays l .c8�R!, knowing that
2.Rc7 will lead to a win.
94
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Power of Pawns
Stalemate possibilities are sometimes hard to see because the piece that
causes the stalemate has not yet been created. When your opponent
"allows" you to queen a pawn, double-check that he hasn't set you up for
a stalemate.
The next example shows a slightly more complicated version of un
derpromotion. In Diagram 91, White plays l.f8=Q, but Black's King is then
stalemated. To draw, all Black has to
do isgive away his Queen: 1. .. Qel+
2.Kg2 Qxg3 + ! ! 3.Kxg3 Stale
mate. If White had noticed that pro .It
motion to a Queen leads to a draw, he
might have played US=N+! Khs
2.Bd4+ with checkmate to follow.
Here's another example. White
seems to be in big trouble in Dia
gram 92. If he promotes his pawn
to a Queen, then L.Qh3 is check
�
. .
mate. Salvation comes in the form
of a fork. U nderpromoting with DIAGRAM 92. While 10 play.
l.f8=N+! creates a royal fork, and
95
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
after Black moves his King, 2.Nxe6 captures the Black Queen. The wise
player who considers all checks and captures before moving will never miss
this sort of move.
Thefollowing tests all feature the underpromotion tactic. As usual, these
tests get progressively more difficult
Tests
TEST 74. It's White's move. Is it safe for him to
make a Queen?
...
. ' . TEST 75. Again, it's White's turn to play. Can he
win this position?
., 'ft· •
1
'ff.
'it'
"
.�. ..
96
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Power of Pawns
97
CHAPTER NINE
• WFW • • • � • • • • • � a . e • • a -a • • • • •
t�. _)".. . ,87 • _-. r.;.. :.' .�.•. _:r•.....�•...
>
The Decoy
D
ecOy tactics are some of the most satisfying in chess. The idea is
simple: If you find yourself wishing that one of your opponent's
pieces were on a particular square, you must find a way to force him
to move there. To perform this magic, it's often useful to visualize the
position you want and then do your best to create it (always bearing in mind
that your opponent will not willingly cooperate). If achieving your goal
involves a sacrifice, then so be it. Naturally, the sacrifice is the prettiest kind
of decoy. However, some other enticement will often do the trick.
Diagram 93 shows a simple example of a nonsacrificial decoy. White
would love Black's g-pawn to move so that the f6-Bishop is no longer
defended. So White plays l .Qf5, threatening checkmate on h7. Black can
save his King only with 1 . g6, but then White's wish is fulfilled because
••
99
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
1 00
CHAPTER NINE: The Decoy
In Diagram 96, Black also seems to be well positioned. His Rooks are
doubled on the open c-file, and he intends to play ... 8f6, putting pressure
on the d4-pawn. White must react quickly. Fortunately, he's able to win
material. Though Black's Bishop is defended by a Rook and a Knight, White
can destroy one defender with 1.Rxc6! and simultaneously drag the other
defender away from its defense of e7. After 1 . ..Rxc6 2.Rxe7, White has
gained a I-point advantage in force.
I'll finish this study of the decoy tactic with an example of a piece drawn
to a square that it normally wouldn't dream of going to. A quick look at
Diagram 97 should be enough to convince you that 1 .Qg5?? is a terrible idea
because 1...Nh3+ creates a royal fork on White's King and Queen. Experi
enced players are familiar with forks and would never knowingly walk into
one. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't occasionally be lured into a
fork! The next position shows just such a case.
l�' <e.
1
1�
- .
101
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Tests
TEST 77. It's White's move. He sees that he can
attack Black's royal family with l.Qh8+, but after
1...Ki7, the King is able to defend his lady. Can
you make White's check on h8 more effective?
Szabo-Bronstein
Zurich, 1953
102
CHAPTER NINE: The Decoy
Ustinov-Ilivicki
USSR, 1959
Seitz-Rellstab
Bad Pyrmont, 1933
103
CHAPTER TEN
Clearance Sacrifice
magine this situation: You have an opportunity to make a big move -a
105
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Checkmate. This series of checks prevents Black from making the one
move he needed to win the game.
Our goal in Diagrams 99 and 100 was checkmate. However, at times the
target will be a piece other than the enemy King. In Diagram 101, the Black
Queen has few moves. If former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik can
play Nc4, he will attack the Queen, cover the b6-square, and unleash his
g3-Bishop on the c7-square. In other words, the Black Queen will be
trapped! The problem is that the c4-square is occupied by a White Bishop.
Bearing in mind what you have just learned about the clearance sacrifice,
you'll easily understand the moves ofthis greatWorld Champion: l .Bxf7 +!
(vacating the c4-square for White's Knight) 1. Rxf7 2.Nc4. Black loses
••
106
CHAPTER TEN: Clearance Sacrifice
... 1.I � B
, 1
1. 1 1 it 1
•
"
1 1 4! 1, 1 � 1
� 4J l I t � .�S
it " �;- ft it . .I.
�., !J it
'ft � it � it it it
�- § <;> § § �
DIAGRAM 101. White to play. DIAGRAM 102. White to play_
Botvinnik-Stepanov Tal-Parma
USSR, 1 931 Bled, 1%1
The "Wizard of Riga," fonner World Champion Mikhail Tal, was noted
for his bold and imaginative play. His tactical ability was legendary. For
example. in 1988, Canadian Senior Master Jonathan Berry served as an
International Arbiter at a big international tournament in Saint John, New
Brunswick, in which Tal took part. Berry recalls:
Tal was wandering around the tournament hall looking at games. It just so
happened that his path took him past two strong International Masters,
who, in mutual time trouble, had agreed upon a draw. Hardly breaking
stride, Tal bent. pointed out a sparkling win for one side, smiled. and
moved on.
In Diagram 102, Tal is ahead only the Exchange for a pawn-a I-point
edge-and would love to pad his advantage with more material. He realizes
that if White's Queen were not on e6, he would be able to launch a maiming
royal fork with Ne6+. For a tactical genius like Tal, the solution is obvious:
1 _Qxf5!. With this one move, he clears the e6-square and devours a Knight
at the same time_ Black resigns rather than face L.gxf52.Ne6+ Kg63_Nxc7,
after which the material disparity would be too great for him to hope of
catching up_
107
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
DIAGRAM 103. While 10 play. trolling the square that it stands on.
The position in Diagram 103 is a
good iIIustra�ion of a move that appears suicidal, yet leads to victory. White
has sacrificed a piece and a pawn in order to attack the Black King. If the
White Bishop were not on a5, White could win with Qa5 Checkmate. A
simple move like I.Bds gets the Bishop out of the way but allows Black to
defend with 1...b6. White needs to clear the as-square with a double attack.
He plays 1 .Bc7, moving to a square that is defended no less than five times!
Unfortunately for Black, taking the Bishop with his Knights or Rooks makes
2.Qa5 Checkmate possible, and if he plays 1 Qxc7, then 2.Rxc7 ends the
...
game. Black's best move is 1. b6, even though 2.Bxb8 gives White a
••
108
CHAPTER TEN: Clearance Sacrifice
Tests
TEST 81 Afs Black's tum to play, and White's
Bishop is the target. Here's a hint Look for a fork.
Good luck!
Prohorovic-Ravinski
USSR, 1958
Ivkov-Portisch
Bled, I961
Roneat-Reicher
Germany, 1950
109
CHAPTER ELEVEN
. .. '. -. - . . . . . . . . . . . . . - " _ . . . . . . .
- - . ,. • • • -• • •' • • • • • • • Ir• • .• .• •
-.� .. . .
I surprise attacks. Both are easy to overlook. The x-ray happens fairly
often, so you should study it carefully. The windmill is very rare but very
powertul: It can lead to the capture of your opponent's entire army!
The X-Ray
The x-ray tactic, which has a lot in common with the discovered attack,
brings to mind Superman's ability to see through objects. It enables a piece
to mount an attack even when other pieces are in the way. It also enables a
piece to capture a defended piece or pawn even when the attacking piece
itself doesn't seem to be defended. Only Queens, Rooks, and Bishops can
perform an x-ray.
Diagram 104 shows a simple illustration. White hasjustmoved his pawn
to as, attacking the Black Knight.
White thinks his pawn is safe be
cause his Rook on c5 protects it.
However, in this case, safety turns
out to be only an illusion. With
1 . Rxa5!, the a8-Rookcapturesthe
••
111
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
weakness because threats of check or checkmate then add fuel to its [lTe.
In Diagram 105, White is aware that his King faces the danger of a back rank
checkmate, but because the el- and fl-squares seem well defended, he feels
secure. White expects 1...Rxe2 2.Qxe2 to produce an even exchange of
material. He fails to perceive that an impending x-ray exists and that the
e1-square is attacked not only by Black's Queen but also by his Rook.
White's death is swift but sure: 1 . .. Qel +! 2.Rxel Rxe1 + 3.Nfl Rxf1
Checkmate.
Here's another example of what happens when a player is not aware
of an impending x-ray. In Diagram 106, White thinks his Rooks are well
protected and expects Black to play the boring 1 ... Rxd2 2.Rxd2 Rxd2 3.Qxd2.
Instead, his universe comes to an end after 1 . .. Qxdl +! 2.Rxdl Rxdl
Checkmate. Even if White had prevented the back rank checkmate by
moving one of his pawns to h3 or g3 earlier, Black would still use the x-ray
tactic because he wins two Rooks for a Queen-a I-point advantage. How
could White have avoided this disaster? The wise player considers all the
checks and captures at his opponent's disposal, and 1...Qxd1+ is both a
check and a capture!
112
CHAPTER ELEVEN: X-Rays and Windmills
Tests
TEST 84. It's Black's move. Are any x-rays hid
ing out here?
113
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
The Windmill
The windmill, an extremely potent but rare tactic, consists of a discovered
check, followed by a normal check, followed by a discovered check, and so
forth. It ends onlywhen the attacker gets what he wants out ofthe situation.
In Diagram 108, we see how the windmill tactic enables White to win
everything. A mixture of checks, discovered checks, and captures leaves
Black paralyzed. He is being eaten alive, and there's nothing he can do
about it! White begins with l.Rxd7+. (Notice that the Bishop on e5
has discovered an attack on Black's King.) Play continues with I. ..KgB
2.Rg7 + (forcing the King back into the same unfortunate discovered-check
situation) 2 KhB 3.Rxc7+ KgB
•••
114
CHAPTER ELEVEN: X-Rays and Windmills
Tests
TEST 86. At the moment, White is down a piece
and two pawns. It's his move. How can he turn this
game around?
115
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Poletayev-Flohr
Moscow, 1951
116
CHAPTER TWELVE
• • • • o w' ."
.. .
• • • • •, • • • • • • W I_ • • • • • •
-• • •.• • • r• •,. _ • • _ .· r_ _ _ •
• • •_ _
Zwischenzug
've often been told that chess i s a difficult sport for Americans because
117
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Diagram 110 shows a zwischenzug in its most basic fonn. Black is very
happy with his position. A pawn ahead, he is anxious to trade pieces and
push his a-pawn toward coronation. Overlooking a zwischenzug, Black
confidently plays 1. ..Rxh4 expecting 2.Qxh4 f6, which leaves the a-pawn
ready to speed down the board. Instead, White plays 2.QdS+! Kh7
3.Qxh4+. The havoc wreaked by the zwischenzug is obvious. White has
recaptured with check, and with the safety of his King at stake, Black
doesn't have time for 2 .. .f6. After 3 ...KgS 4.QdS+ Kh7, White can claim a
perpetual check with 5.Qh4+. Alternatively. 5.Qxa5 snaps off the a-pawn.
Zwischenzugs aren't always this straightforward. At the highest levels
ofchess mastery, zwischenzugs can be much more subtle. with their effects
revealed only several moves later. Diagram 1 1 1 shows a zwischenzug in a
more crafty setting. Black commences a series of exchanges: 1. .. Rxe4
2.Bxh4 Rxh4 3.Rxf3 Rxc4 4.Rel Rg4+ (the zwischenzug) 5.Kf2 Rd4
6.Re7 Rxd5 7.Rxb7 Rdxf5 S.Rxf5 Rxf5+. By recapturing with check,
Black gains time, thus maintaining his advantage. Without the zwischenzug,
White wouldn't be in check. and he'd have time to capture the a7-pawn.
118
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
.M·a.
. . ._.
., _ . .'.- .•.••
»•••• ...
� .
_. . .•
�.. ' .•.•
-� . ..
• • ••• •.• v
It's also useful to put yourself in your opponent's shoes and find the kind of
move that you would least like to see if you were in his place.
Perpetual Pursuits
A perpetual pursuit is similar to a perpetual check except that the pursued
piece is a Bishop, Knight, Rook, or Queen instead of the King. The idea is
simple: If you can limit the movement of a piece and then constantly attack
it, your opponent won't be able to launch any action against you because he
will need to safeguard his attacked piece by moving it back and forth. This
perpetual motion usually leads to a draw because of the three-time repeti·
tion rule:
A draw is declared ifthe identical position is repeated three times.
Let's look at some examples.
119
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
In Diagram 1 12, White is down a piece for a pawn, but he can force a
draw by constantly attacking Black's Bishop. After l.Kc7 BaS (Black has
nowhere else to run to), White plays 2.KbS Bc6 3.Kc7 (avoiding 3.a8=Q
BxaS 4.Kxa8 Kf3 5.Kb7 Kxe3 6.Kc6 Kd4, and Black wins) 3 BaS 4.KbS.
•••
1 20
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Other Kinds of Draws
capture the Queen with ...Bh4+ followed by ...Rxd8. White avoids the
Bishop's check with 2.0-0. Now Black is able to force a perpetual pursuit of
the Queen with 2 Bg7 (threatening 3... Rxd8) 3.Qd6 (the only safe
•••
square) 3 BfS! 4.QdS (again, the only safe square) 4 Bg7. Black
••• ..•
1 21
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
Tests
TEST 88. In this well-known position from the
Slav Defense (1.d4 d5 2. c4 c6-one of Black's
most solid defenses to the Queen's Gambit),
White can capture a "free" pawn on b7 with
l.Qxb7. If White wants to win the game, is
capturing this pawn a wise decision?
Building a Fortress
Building a fortress involves setting up a strong defensive wall that prevents
your opponent from making decisive inroads into your position. We'll look
at two types of walls: one that prevents the King from crossing over into
your territory and one that keeps out your opponent's entire army.
1 22
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Other Kinds of Draws
1 23
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
White camp) 4 Rh6 5.f3! White's fifth move is the key to keeping out
...
1 24
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Other Kinds of Draws
the Black King. (fo test the strength of this move, try to find a way for the
Black King to get in.) Play continues with 5 Re6 (Black hopes to get to
...
e2 or el) 6.Kfl (protecting the e2- and el-squares) 6 Kf7 7.Kf2. Now
•••
neither Black's Rook nor his King can penetrate the blockade. White's King
will simply shuttle back and forth between f1 and f2. If Black plays ...Rh6,
then White's King will switch the action to gl and g2. Note also that White
will counter a Black move of ...a5 and ...a4 with the blocking h4. Thus, the
game is an inevitable draw.
In the following tests, simply aim to keep the bad guys out, and all
will be well.
Tests
TEST 89. White is up a Queen and pawn for a Rook
and a Knight-a 2-point edge. Is l.e4 a good move
for White?
1 25
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
126
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Other Ki nds of Draws
1 27
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
1 28
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Other Kinds of Draws
King! Also notice that 4.Kf2 Bxg2! leads to the position shown in the
previous diagram. With 4 ... Kh6, Black retreats to his comer on hs and
claims the draw. No matter how many pawns White piles up on the h-file.
the game will end in a draw unless the White Bishop controls the pawns'
queening square.
The drawing mechanism we have just looked at is very useful and
should be studied thoroughly. Whenever you are losing and your opponent
has a Bishop and a Rook-pawn of the wrong color, there is still hope!
1 29
PART 1 : Tactics and Combinations
1 30
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Other Kinds of Draws
Tests
TEST 91 . Black is down two pawns and threat
ened with f6+. It's his move. How can he wipe the
smile off White's face?
1 31
PART 2
G reat Tacticians
and Their Games
Whenever chess aficionados get together and the discussion turns to one
great player or another. the question of his playing style always comes up.
Was that chess master a quiet positional player who enjoyed maneuvering
his pieces to and fro? Or was he a madman who turned the board into a
latter type: the men considered to be the greatest tacticians of all time.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Adolf Anderssen
(1 81 8-1 879)
B
orn in Breslau, Germany, Adolf
Anderssen is considered to be
one of the greatest combina
tive players of all time. In the course
of his long tournament and match
career, he won the first big interna
tional tournament (London, 1851)
and was considered to be the strong
est player in the world until his de
feat in match play by the American
Paul Morphy in 1858. He also won
first prizes at Manchester in 1862
and Baden-Baden in 1870, took third at Vienna in 1873, and finished sixth at
Paris in 1878 at the age of 60.
like the majority of players of his day, Anderssen knew only how to
attack, but in a field crowded with attackers, he had no equal. His two most
famous victories-the Immortal Game and the Evergreen Game-will live
as long as chess itself. An amazing imagination and unequaled tactical eye
make his games exemplary sources of fantasy for which past and present
masters have always had a fondness.
In 1877, Anderssen received a very rare honor from German chess
players, who organized a tournament to commemorate the 50th anniver
sary of Anderssen's first chess game. He showed that he had learned the
1 35
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
1 36
CI IAPTER FOURTEEN: Adolf Anderssen ( 1 81 8-1879)
Game," believing that it would always be one of the greatest chess games
ever played. Here it is.
1 .e4 e5
2.f4
White's second move is the prelude to a pawn sacrifice known as the King's
Gambit, an ultra-aggressive opening that was very popular in Anderssen's
day. White's idea is to sacrifice a pawn to gain a majority of center pawns,
potential open files for his Rooks, and a lead in development. Today, the
King's Gambit is rarely seen in top-flight chess.
2 exf4
..•
Like most players of the last century, Black feels duty-bound to accept the
sacrifice. It is the "manly" thing to do!
3.8c4
Modern players prefer 3.Nf3, which prevents Black's next move.
3 ... Qh4+
4.Kfl b5?!
This dubious counter-sacrifice drives the Bishop from its nice diagonal but
gives up the pawn.
5.8xb5 Nf6
6.Nf3
Both sides are hurrying to mobilize their pieces for the attack. Here, White
develops his Knight with tempo because it attacks the Black Queen.
6 . Qh6
. .
7.d3
White defends his e4-pawn and frees his cI-Bishop.
7 ,.. ;,5?
..•
This move is typical of the period. Though Black is threatening 8... Ng3+
9.hxg3 Qxhl +, he is also placing his Knight on the rim, where it loses its
influence over the center. In those days, players often brought out two or
three pieces and then started to attack. Now players give more thought to
controlling the center and the deployment of all their forces. By today's
1 37
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
standards, Black has violated the principle of not moving the same piece
twice in the opening.
8.Nh4
White stops Black's threat, intending to position the Knight on the nice f5
outpost, from which it can harass the Black Queen.
8...Qg5
9.Nf5
Note how both players are moving the same pieces again and again.
9...e6
1 0.g4 Nf6?
More lost time. Black should have played for an exchange of pieces with
1O...cxb5 1 1.gxh5, even though White would retain an advantage.
1 1 .Rgl !
White has had enough! He defends his g-pawn and sacrifices the Bishop so
that his pawns can gain time by chasing Black's Queen.
1 1 .. cxb5
.
Not wishing to be banned from all future chess events, Black reluctantly
accepts the gift and glares defiantly at his opponent.
1 2.h4 Qg6
1 3.h5 Qg5
1 4.Qf3
White develops a piece and threatens to play 15.Bxf4, which will trap
Black's Queen.
1 4 ... Ng8
Black continues to play with this Knight, but now his Queen can safely
retreat to f6 or d8.
1 5.Bxf4
Another White piece comes out with gain of tempo.
1 5...Qf6
16.Ne3 Be5?
1 38
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Adolf Anderssen ( 1 81 8-1 879)
This attack on White's Rook is easily parried. Black should have realized
that preventing White's next move was more important than engaging in a
counterattack.
1 7.NdS!?
Amodem player would push back Black with 17.d4, expecting 17...Be7, after
which 18.Nd5 is crushing. If Black plays 17... Bxd4, then 18.Nd5 wins a piece.
However, true to his nature, Anderssen jumps forward with reckless aban
don. (He probably planned the checkmate on move 23 and couldn't resist
the chance to play into it.)
1 7...Qxb2
Black attacks White's Rook on al.
1 8.Bd6! (128)
White ignores all Black's threats. As you can see in Diagram 128, White is
starting to surround the Black King with his pieces.
1 8 Qxal+
.••
1 9.Ke2 BxgH
Greedy. But Black was duty-bound to chop offthe Rook and challenge White
to prove his point.
20.eS
A crafty move. White has absolutely
no intention of allowing the Black
Queen to take part in his opponent's
defense.
20...Na6
Black could have put up a much
stiffer resistance by playing 20 ..Ba6,
.
1 39
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
23.Be7 Checkmate
The final position, shown in Dia
gram 129, is very pleasing! White has
sacrificed his Queen, both Rooks,
DIAGRAM 129. and a Bishop to obtain a pure minor
piece checkmate. A pure checkmate
is one in which none of the squares around the checkmated King is covered
more than once by the winning side. Though obtaining a pure checkmate
is more satisfyiI)g to composers of chess problems than to over-the-board
players, it is fitting that this famous final position has this aesthetic bonus.
140
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Adolf Anderssen ( 1 8 1 8-1879)
4 Bxb4
•..
5.cl BaS
6.d4
Yet another pawn sacrifice. White blows apart the center in the hope that
the newly opened lines will provide access to the Black King.
6 exd4
•..
7.0·0 d3
Black loses time because White has no interest in wasting a move to
recapture this pawn.
8.Qbl
White eschews recapturing the pawn and threatens 9.Bxf7+, which will win
a pawn and check the King.
8 Qf6
.•.
1 41
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
1 6 ...Qh5
1 7.Nf6+! (130)
As you can see in Diagram 130,
White wants to force Black to cap
ture the Knight on f6. (White will
take the Black Queen on hs if
Black resists.) The reason for this
sacrifice is that after I S.exf6,
White has blasted open the e-file
and enabled h i s Rooks to join
in the hunt for Black's King. The
possibility of opening lines against
DIAGRAM 1 30.
the enemy King, especially when he
is in the center, should always be considered.
1 7...gxf6
1 8.exf6 Rg8
19.Radl QxfJ
Black can't resist taking this Knight because he can now threaten to
checkmate White on g2.
20.Rxe7+! Nxe7?
After this move, White has a forced checkmate. Black probably overlooked
White's stunning reply. I say "probably" because in the old days players who
knew they had lost a game sometimes allowed their opponents to win
brilliantly. A better defense was 20... Kds! 21.Rxd7+ Kc8 22.Rd8+! KxdS (not
22...NxdS, which leads to 23.Qd7+!! Kxd724.Bf5++ and then Bd7 Checkmate)
23.Bf5+ Qxdl+ 24.Qxdl+ Nd4 2S.g3! (which defends the g2-pawn before
taking the d4-Knight-the Knight is pinned and will not run away) 2S...BdS
26.cxd4, resulting in a winning position for White.
21 .Qxd7+! Kxd7
22.Bf5++
Black's defense won't come easily in the face of a double check.
22 ...Ke8
1 42
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Adolf Anderssen ( 1 5 1 5-1 579)
1 43
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
>
Paul Morphy
(1 837-1 884)
B
orn in New Orleans, Louisi
ana, of a Spanish-Irish father
and a French Creole mother,
Paul Morphy was an exceptionally
strong player by the age of 12. Later
he studied law and was said to have
been able to recite most of the Civil
Code of Louisiana from memory. He
passed the bar at 19 and had to wait
a year to be eligible to practice law,
so he decided to spend some time
playing chess. That year-1857-it
so happened that the American Chess Congress was held in New York.
Morphy's stunning victory at the Congress was followed by a triumphant
European tour, culminating in his match win over Anderssen. Morphy
returned to the United States in 1859 universally acclaimed as the best player
in the world. Sadly, he played no serious chess for the rest of his life and
was beset by mental problems in his later years.
Why was Morphy so much better at chess than everyone else? He was
a great tactician, but no more so than Adolf Anderssen. What made him
invincible was his understanding of some modem chess principles. He
attacked only after he had developed all his forces, and he fought like a tiger
for control of the center.
1 45
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
The fact that Morphy was ahead of his time was lost on his contempo
raries, most of whom could never figure out how he had trampled them
under his feet After losing to Morphy, Anderssen WTote:
He who plays with Morphy must abandon all hope of catching him in a
trap, no matter how cunningly laid, but must assume that it is so clear to
Morphy that there can be no Question of a false step.
Morphy-Duke of Braunschweig
and Count lsouard, Paris, 1 858
In this game, Morphy offered an exquisite example of rapid mobilization of
an army followed by flawless execution of an attack. The game was played
in a French opera theater and was reported around the world. Though
Morphy faced the combined wits of a Duke and a Count, the battle proved
to be one-sided. It is considered required reading for all chess lovers. Enjoy.
1 .e4 e5
2.Nf3 d6
TIlls opening is the Philidor Defense, named after Fran�is-Andre Danican
Philidor (1726-1795) . It has the disadvantage of blocking Black's Klng
Bishop and giving White a free hand in the center.
3.d4
With this move, White opens up diagonals for both his Bishops. Note the
speed with which Morphy develops his pieces.
3 . . 8g4?
.
winning a pawn.
5.Qxf3 dxe5
1 46
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Paul Morphy (1 837-1 884)
6.8e4
White brings out another piece with gain oftempo. Now 7.Qxf7 and check
mate is the threat.
6... Nf6
7.Qb3!
A double attack. White threatens both B.Bxf7+ and 8.Qxb7, winning a pawn
in either case.
7 . Qe7
..
8.Ne3!
A masterful move. After the simple 8.Qxb7 Qb4+ 9.Qxb4 Bxb4+ lO.c3, White
would have had a healthy extra pawn and a technical win. Morphy shows
admirable restraint and, instead of grabbing Black's b-pawn, decides to go
for a quick knockout. This approach requires that he develop his pieces as
quickly as possible.
Notice the difference between Morphy and the other players of his era:
He attacks only after developing all his pieces, whereas other players bring
out one or two men and attack right away. (Another difference is that other
players feel obliged to accept all material offers, whereas Morphy accepts
them only if doing so gives him an advantage.)
Back to the game.
8.. .c6
Black defends the b7-pawn and keeps White's pieces out of the d5-{)utpost.
9.8g5
White calmly brings out another piece.
9...b5?
Typically, Black tries to solve his problems with a counterattack, but be
cause of White's superior development, such a move is doomed to failure.
(Today, everyone knows that an open position always favors the side that is
better developed.) Now White has the opportunity to completely open up
the position.
147
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
10.Nxb5!
With most of his pieces out and his
Rooks ready to pounce on the open
d-fiIe, White is ready for action.
1 0...cxb5?
Black accelerates his own defeat.
He would be down a pawn after
1O...Qb4+ Il.Nc3 Qxb3, but then
12.axb3 creates a winning position
for White.
1 1 .Bxb5+ Nbd7
1 2.0-o-O! (132)
DtAGRAM 1 32.
Simultaneously sprinting his King to
safety, White puts a Rook on the open d-file. Diagram 132 shows that the
pinned d7-Knight is under heavy pressure.
1 2 RdS
••.
14S
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Paul Morphy (1 837-1 884)
Other Plays
Only AdoUAnderssen could claim to be Morphy's superior in the realm of
tactics, but Anderssen was inferior to Morphy in all other aspects of the
game. Lesser mortals were usually bludgeoned to death. A few snapshots
from Morphy's career will serve to further demonstrate his tactical skills.
In Diagram 133, White's aI-Rook and bl-Knight are still sitting on their
original squares, whereas all of Black's pieces are developed. Morphy
shows how to exploit the moment With 1 . . Ng3!!, he puts White's King in
.
In Diagram 134, note how Black's pieces work together as a unit and are
all placed in or aiming at the center. Because three of White's pieces are
sitting uselessly on the Queenside, Black starts an attack against the
abandoned White King with 1 . Qxf3!!, a celebrated combination that
..
exposes the King to the fury ofthe Black Rooks and Bishops. Play continues
with 2.gx£3 Rg6+ 3.Khl Bh3 4.Rdl (playing 4.Rgl instead results in a
1 49
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
back rank checkmate: 4... Bg2+! S.Rxg2 Rel+ 6.Rgl Rexgl Checkmate)
4 Bg2+ 5.Kgl Bxf3+ (avoiding S...Bh3+ 6.Khl Bg2+ 7.Kgl, which results
•••
150
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rudolf Spielmann
(1 883-1 942)
151
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
Always proud ofhis attacking prowess, Spielmann once lamented, "I can
see combinations as well as Alekhine, but 1 cannot get to the positions where
they are possible!" This iimocent little statement is actually quite revealing
and illustrates the changes the game was undergoing at the time. Of course,
you could still sacrifice pieces and attack, but to be successful against the
strongest players, you had to master all phases of the game. The time of
the one-punch knock-{)ut artist was quickly coming to an end. However, we
can still enjoy replaying some haymaker chess games. Let's look at a
beautiful example from the young Spielmann. His beloved beer must have
tasted good after this one!
Spielmann-A. Flamberg
Mannheim, 1 91 4
This game is a good example of Spielmann's early style.
1 .e4 e5
2.Nc3 Nf6
3.f4
This part of the Vienna Opening was a great favorite of Spielmann's early in
his career.
3 d5
•..
4.fxe5 Nxe4
5.Nf3 Bg4
Today's theorists recommend 5 ..Be7 because it gives Black equality.
.
6.Qe2 Nc5
7.d4 Bxf31
Black thinks he is forcing a trade of Queens, but he is really handing White
the kind of opportunity for attack that Spielmann dreamed about Black
should have played 7. .Ne6, giving White only a small advantage.
.
8.Qxf3 Qh4+
1 52
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Rudolf Spielmann (1 883-1 942)
9.g3!
Black expected 9.Qf2, leading to a trade of Queens. But Spielmann has no
compunctions about sacrificing a couple of pawns for a lead in development
and a subsequent attack.
9 .. .Qxd4
1 0.Be3! Qxe5
1 1 .0-0-0
While Black's Queen is busy snacking on pawns, White rushes to bring out
all his pieces.
1 1 ...c6
1 2.Nxd5! (135)
As Diagram 135 shows, this piece sacrifice opens up all the central files to
Black's King.
1 2 ...cxd5
1 3.Rxd5 Qe6?
Confused, Black makes a mistake and goes down fast The best defense,
13 ... Qc7, still gives White a winning attack after 14.Bb5+ because of his
commanding lead in development
1 4.Bc4
White threatens the simple 15.Bxc5,
as well as 15.Rds+ and 16.Bxe6 with
a discovered attack and capture of
Black's Queen.
1 4...Qe4
1 5.Bxc5!
Black resigns. White's last move is
a killing blow, and Black recognizes
that 15... Qxf3 16.Re1+ Be7 17.Rxe7+
Kfs 18.RdS Checkmate is a grue
some end. DIAGRAM 1 35.
1 53
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
Spielmann-R. L'Hermet
Magdeburg, 1 927
The next game, played some years later, shows how Spielmann changed
his openings. As you'll see, he still loved to attack, but he would usually play
a solid opening before showing any aggression.
1 .e4 e6
2.d4 d5
Black's first two moves bring about the French Defense.
3.Nd2 dxe4
4.Nxe4 Nd7
5.Nf3 Ngf6
6.Nxf6+ Nxf6
7.Bd3
This is a nice solid variation of the French Defense. Black should play for a
Quick 7...c5 and a counterattack in the center.
7 h6?
..•
This lemon loses time and gives White a target for an eventual g2-g4-g5
pawn stonn on the Kingside. This target is especially tempting if Black
decides to castle on the Kingside.
8.Qe2 Bd6
9.Bd2 0-0
10.0-0-0 Bd7
1 1 .Ne5
The mature Spielmann calmly brings all his forces to the center before
starting his attack.
11 c5
.••
This counter comes too late. White is well prepared to take advantage ofthe
open lines.
1 2.dxc5! Bxe5
Not a happy move for Black, but 12...Bxc5 13.g4! would give White a very
strong attacking po�ition.
1 54
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Rudolf Spielmann (1 883-1942)
1 3.Qxe5 Be6
14.Bf4 Qe7
1 5.Qd4 Rfd8
16.Bd6 Qe8
1 7.Rhgl b6
1 8.Qh4
White brings his Queen to the Kingside and steps out of the pin on the Mile.
1 8...bxe5
1 9.Be5!
Refusing to be tempted by the cS-pawn, White signals with this move that
he is ready to start the final offensive against Black's King.
1 9...Qe7?
20.g4 e4
21 .g5! Nd7 (136)
So far White has shown amazing restraint, but now he lashes out with all
his strength.
22.Qxh6!!
1bis splendid move forces the opening of the g-file and allows White's Rooks
to participate in the attack.
22...gxh6
23.gxh6+ Kf8
24.RgH+!
Black resigns rather than meet his
fate. Otherwise, after capturing the
Rook, White's h-pawn would ad
vance with tempo, promote to a
Queen, and checkmate at the same
time with 24... Kxgl:! 2 s.h7+ Ki8
26.h8=Q Checkmate.
DIACRAM 136.
155
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
Other Plays
The position in Diagram 137 has a more modem look than that of the games
of Adolf Anderssen and Paul Morphy because both sides have developed
their respective armies. The dark squares around Black's King are weak
because Black is missing his Bishop on the a1-hS diagonal. White takes
advantage of this weakness with a
series of powerful blows: 1 .Nf5!!
. -.. � • • . Qc5 (the Knight is taboo because
-1i J. it 1 .- 1 l...gxfS 2.BxfS f6 3.Bxe6+ Kh8
156
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
.. .' . . . . . . '. . . , . .
. .'.' . . .' . . .' . .' . . ..
.
Frank Marshall
(1 877-1 944)
B
om in New York, Frank Mar
shall was US Champion from
1909 t o 1935. Like Rudolf
Spielmann, Marshall was a throw
back to a previous chess era, and he
quickly became known as a very
tricky player who often swindled his
way to victory. Reuben Fine claimed
that he had met no one, not even
Alexander Alekhine, who had a
keener eye for the purely tactical and
combinative side of chess.
In spite of his keen eye, poor Marshall usually got stomped when he
played extended matches against such giants as Emanuel Lasker (in 1907)
and Jose Raul Capablanca (in 19(9). They simply avoided his tricks. By
playing for strategically difficult positions-in Lasker's case-or for simple
positions-in Capablanca's case-they created situations in which Marshall's
tactical and combinative strengths failed to make an impression.
The Lasker and Capablanca matches represented new developments in
chess strategy. The Lasker contest was an example of strategic confusion,
whereas the Capablanca contest was a battle of extremely different styles:
Capablanca's "simplicity first" style vs. Marshall's crazed " bombs away"
style. Marshall was unable to develop effective plans for dealing with either
opponent, and he never knew what hit him!
157
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
1 58
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Frank Marshall ( 1 877-1944)
1 1 .h5 ReB
12.hxg6 hxg6
1 3.Qc2 (138)
At this point, Black thinks his posi
tion is quite safe. Burn is reaching
for a match to start his pipe when
Marshall shocks him with a piece
sacrifice.
1 3... Bg7
1 4.Bxg6! fxg6
The forgotten match goes out in
Bum's fingers. DIAGRAM 1 38.
15.Qxg6 Nd7
1 6.Ng5
White threatens 17.Qf7 Checkmate.
1 6...Qf6
The expected 17.Qh7+ KfB will allow Black's King to run to safety.
1 7.RhB+!
Black resigns. Marshall's last move struck like a thunderbolt. Because
the Black Bishop is pinned and can't take the White Rook, the Black King
is forced to make the capture and move into the comer. Then 17...KxhB
1B.Qh7 is checkmate.
A scintillating example of Marshall's attacking style! When it worked, it
worked well. And it seemed to work better in tournaments than in matches.
Marshall greatly preferred the variety of opponents found in tournaments
to facing the same, well-prepared foe game after game. He said that he
wanted "novelties in opening play, slashing attack and counterattack. The
grim business of wearing down your opponent has never appealed to me
very much."
159
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
Marshall-A. Rubinstein
Lodz, 1 908
Here's another game that is typical of Marshall. Always happy to take
chances, Marshall's gamble pays off when, with both Kings under heavy
fire, his renowned opponent gets confused.
1 .d4 dS
2.c4 e6
3.Ne3 eS
4.exdS exdS
S.Nf3 Nf6?!
The opening is the Tarrasch Defense. Black's fifth move is now known to
be a mistake because it allows White to pin. The correct move is S. .. Nc6,
when a struggle lies ahead.
6.BgS Be7
7.dxeS Be6
8.Rel 0-0
9.Bxf6
White pulls Black's Bishop away from the c5-pawn. Later, analysts decided
that 9.e3 is the best move because it gives White a superior position.
9... Bxf6
10.e3 QaS
1 1 .a3 Ne6
1 2.Bd3 QxeS
Black regains his pawn, and the game is roughly balanced. The isolation of
Black's d-pawn is compensated by his powerful dark-squared Bishop.
A modern master would now move his King to safety with 13.0-0, but
Marshall had no patience for safety-first measures. As a chess player, he
lived for the attack!
1 3.h4?
Such wing attacks are usually successful only if you control the center or if
160
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Frank Marshall (1 877-1 944)
the center is closed. Here, the center is open and can be changed by Black
(dS-d4), so White's Kingside action is suspicious and seems destined to fail.
1 3 Qe7
•..
1 4.Ng5 h6
1 5.Nxe6 fxe6
1 6.Bbl
White intends to play Qd3 followed by Qh7+, harassing Black's monarch.
All very promising.
1 6... Bxh4!
Black starts his counterattack by battering White's f-pawn with both his
Bishop and Rook.
1 7.g3 Bxg3!
The destruction of the pawns that shielded White's King leaves the White
monarch in great peril.
1 8.fxg3 Qg5
1 9.Qd3
Both sides are swinging for the fences. With this move, White defends the
e-pawn and prepares for Qh7+, hoping to kick-start his own attack.
1 9... Qxg3+?
A tempting but incorrect move.
Black should play 19... Ne5!, which
leads to 20.Qh7+ Kf7 21.Rfl+ Ke7,
when his King has run to safety but
White's is still on the firing line.
20.Kd2 Rf2+
21 .Ne2 Ne5
22.Qh7+ Kf7
23.Rc7+ Kf6 (139)
Black thinks he is doing well in the
position shown in Diagram 139, but
he has overlooked the possibility of
White's next shot. DIAGRAM 139.
24.Rxh6+!
161
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
Other Plays
Marshall was always a favorite with the crowds, and it's not hard to under
stand why. Take, for example, the following position. from which he made
a move that stunned the chess world and became known as one of the most
brilliant moves ever played! As you can see in Diagram 140, Black is ahead
a piece, but White is attacking both Black's Queen and his h3-Rook. Black's
move is a beauty: 1. Qg3!!. He invites White to capture his Queen in any
••
of three ways. White resigns! Why? It turns out that all three captures lead
to White's defeat Let's look at each
one:
• 2.fxg3 Ne2+ 3.Khl Rxfl, with
a back rank checkmate.
• 2.hxg3 Ne2 Checkmate.
• 2.Qxg3 Ne2+ 3.Khl Nxg3+
4.Kgl (aforced move because
both the h- and f-pawns are
pinned) 4...Nxfl, which leads
to an easy win in the ending
for Black.
162
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Alexander Alekhine
(1 892-1 946)
B
orn in Moscow to a wealthy
family, Alexander A1ekhine
has the morbid distinction of
being the only man to die while hold
ing the World Champion title. A
player of extraordinary tactical vi
sion, A1ekhine was also the first
great theorist of openings. Pushed
by a burning ambition to win the
World Championship, A1ekhine re
alized that tactical ability alone was
not enough to take him to the peak.
By tireless study, A1ekhine mastered all phases of the game. He is in many
respects the prototype of the modern Grandmaster. By thoroughly studying
openings and intensely analyzing his opponent's games, A1ekhine broke a
new trail to greatness that has been followed by many of today's profes
sional chess players.
Not a very likeable man, A1ekhine was a drunk and a Nazi sympathizer.
Nevertheless, he achieved such a high playing level that many chess fans
rank him with Capablanca, Lasker, Fischer, and Kasparov as one of the five
greatest players who ever lived.
1 63
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
Alekhine-O. Chajes
Carlsbad, 1 91 1
Let's look at a game that has the Alekhine stamp all over it. A sharp opening
is followed by forceful play that culminates in a crisp tactical finish. Note
particularly Alekhine's tactical mastery, which he uses to gain material and
achieve eventual victory.
1 .c4
This is the English Opening, which was rarely seen in those days. Alekhine
liked to play a variety of openings, many of which were ahead of his time.
1 ...e6
2.e4 cS
3.Nc3 Nc6
4.Nf3 g6
Notagood choice. Black will now be leftwith dark-square holes, particularly
the d6-square, resembling swiss cheese.
S.d4 cxd4
6.Nxd4 Bg7
7.NdbS!
White is already threatening to play Nd6 and jump in with check. Black is
in trouble, and the opening has barely begun! (This game shows why a
careful study of openings is mandatory. Alekhine made his contemporaries,
who lacked an understanding of openings, look like beginners.)
7...BeS
8.f4 a6
9.fxeS axbS
1 0.Bf4
By defending his e5-pawn, White keeps up the pressure on the d6- and
f6-squares.
164
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Alexander Alekhine (1 892-1946)
1 o...bxc4
1 1 .Bxc4
Black's game is horrible. In addition to the holes that riddle his position, he
is behind in development and threatened with Nbs-d6.
1 1 ... Ra5
A little trap. Black is hoping for 12.Nbs? Rxbs 13.BxbS QaS+ followed by
14...QxbS, which would win him two pieces for a Rook.
1 2.0-0!
A1ekhine moves his King to safety and places his Rook on the half-open f-file.
1 2 .. .b5
Black is still trying to tempt 13.NxbS? Rxbs 14.BxbS Qb6+ followed by
IS...QxbS, for a gain of material. He avoids 12... NxeS 13.Bxes Rxe5 because
14.Qd6! followed by IS.Nb5 would be crushing.
1 3M!! (141)
Fabulous! Black's next moves are somewhat forced because a Rook re
treat would permit White to capture the b5-pawn at his leisure. In his game
notes,AIekhine calculated that an up
coming pin would lead to Chajes's
destruction.
1 3... Qb6+
1 4.Kh1 Nxb4
Black must go along with White's
agenda to avoid 14. ..Ra8 15.Nxb5.
1 5.Bxb5 Rxb5
1 6.Nxb5 Qxb5
1 7.Rb1 !
This is the position A1ekhine fore
saw when he played 13.b4. The pin
DIAGRAM 141.
is decisive. Black has four possible
165
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
18.Qd6 f6
19.Rfc1
The Knight is not going away. The immediate 19.Qxb4?? Qxb4 20.Rxb4
would allow ... Bxfl, clipping a Rook.
19 Qd3
•••
20.Rxb4
White now has an extra Exchange and can attack Black's King. The final
moves are not of great interest
20. g5
..
21 .Rd4 QbS
22.a4 Qb7
23.Rc7 Qb1+
24.Rd1
Black resigns.
R. Reti-Alekhine
Baden-Baden, 1 925
In 1927, A1ekhine challenged Jose Raul Capablanca for the World Cham
pionship, eventually winning the title in one of the most difficult matches
ever played. While preparing for the Championship match, A1ekhine played
the following game, exhibiting perhaps his most celebrated combination
its depth is truly awesome.
1 66
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Alexander Alekhine (1 892-1 946)
Richard Reti, A1ekhine's opponent in this game, was a chess rebel who
preached a bunch of new ideas that were labeled "hypermodern." One of
the main tenets ofhypermodemism concerned the center. The classical old
guard preached that success depended on ownership of the center, whereas
the hypermoderns insisted that you could allow your opponent to build a
big pawn center as long as you could later attack the center fromthe flanks.
Reti began the game like this:
l og3
The ideas ofthe hypermoderns were certainly not lost onAlekhine. He took
the best ideas from each school of chess thought and mixed them together
to come up with a system of his own.
1 .•• e5
2.Nf3!?
White's move is a little risky because his Knight gets pushed around with
loss of tempo. However, he is willing to run hither and thither with this
Knight, hoping to goad Black's pawns forward so that he can later attack
them. He wants to show that they are not strong, but merely targets.
Compare the ideas of Reti with those of players from Anderssen's and
Morphy's era, and you will be struck by the vast difference in their thinking.
The time of chess professionalism, and the strategic thought that comes
with it, had arrived.
The game continues:
2 e4•••
3.Nd4 d5
4.d3 exd3
5.Qxd3?!
This early Queen development is too provocative. A better move is 5.cxd3,
which brings a flank pawn into the center.
5 ..Nf6
.
6.Bg2 Bb4+
1 67
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
7.Bd2 Bxd2+
8.Nxd2 0-0
Black has moved his King to safety and is ready to make use of the half-open
e-file. Next, he must find good SQuares for his Queenside pieces.
9.c4 Na6
10.cxds Nb4
1 1 .Qc4 NbxdS
1 2.N2b3 c6
1 3.0-0 Re8
14.Rfdl Bg4!
1 5.Rd2 Qc8
16.Nc5
White has played well and has found excellent squares for his Knights. He
plans an attack on the Queenside with b2-b4-b5.
1 6 ...Bh3!
Black starts a counterattack on the Kingside, setting a nasty trap.
Keep in mind that you should never set a trap without expecting your
opponent to see the threat. If he misses it, you can congratulate yourself on
your nice win. If he sees it, your move should nevertheless improve your
position in some way. In this case, Reti sees through the trap.
1 7.8f3
The greedy 17.Bxh3? leads to 17 ...Qxh3 18.Nxb7 Ng4 19.Nf3 Nde3! 20.fxe3
Nxe3 (threatening 21 ... Qg2 Checkmate) 21.Qxf7+! Kh8! (not 21...Kxf7
22.Ng5+, forking Black's King and Queen) 22.Nh4 Rf8 and an 'eventual
Black win, because if the Queen moves, then 23...Rfl+ leads to checkmate.
This cunningly laid trap was typical ofAlekhine's imaginative play. Only
the finest players could avoid failure in the face of such tactics. But unlike
players ofseveral decades earlier, Reti had no compunctions about refusing
a material offer and side-stepping the trap.
1 68
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Alexander Alekhine (1 892-1 946)
1 7...Bg4
1 8.Bg2 Bh3
19.BfJ Bg4
20.Bhl
White bravely plays for a win, avoiding 20.Bg2, which leads to a three time
repetition and a draw.
20...h5!
Black has setup the conditions he needs for a successful Kingside offensive.
White's pieces have made headway on the Queenside, but they have
wandered far from White's King, and White's hI·Bishop is on a poor
defensive square. Even so, White's pawns provide good cover for his King.
Black intends to use his h·pawn to open White's Kingside pawn shield.
21 .b4 a6
22.Rc1 h4
23.a4 hxg3
24.hxg3 Qc7
Black has targeted the g3·pawn as the weak point, so he aims his Queen at
it and prepares to mow it down.
25.b5 axb5
26.axb5 (142)
Both players have pursued their
plans, and Diagram 142 shows an
innocent-enough setting. White has
made substantial gains on the
Queenside, and Black has been
working on the Kingside. Black
now unleashes a combination of in
credible depth. Combinations like
this one led Bobby Fischer to call
Alekhine "the deepest player that
ever lived."
DIAGRAM 142.
169
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
26 Re3!!
•..
Black trains his guns on the weakened g3·pawn. Now 27.fxe3?? Qxg3+
28.Bg2 Bh3 leads to checkmate and 27.bxc6 Rxg3+! is also horrible. White
has to pull back his pieces from the Queenside to protect his monarch.
27.Nf3
The best defense was 27 .Bf3! Bxf3 28.exf3 (though Reuben Fine maintains
that after 28...cxb5 29.Nxb5 Qa5, Black would retain the advantage).
27 exbS
•••
28.QxbS Ne3!
Black forks the White Queen and e2·pawn.
29.Qxb7 Qxb7
30.Nxb7 Nxe2+
31 .Kh2
This move is betlerforWhite than 31.Kfl, which would lead to Nxg3+ 32.fxg3
Bxf3 33.Bxf3 Rxf3+ and the loss o( a pawn. After 31.Kh2, White thinks the
worst is over, but Black has more in store. He realizes that White's far-flung
h7-Knight lacks protection.
31 ••• Ne4!
Now 32.fxe3 Nxd2 means Black will win the Exchange. However, the real
point of 31...Ne4 becomes apparent only with the 42nd move!
32.Re4!
White hopes (or 32 ...Nxd2 33.Nxd2! or 32...Bxf3 3.1.Rxe4!, with good chances
of a draw.
32... Nxf2
33.Bg2 Be6!
34.Re2 Ng4+
3S.Kh3
Not exactly the type of move White wants to play, but 35.Khl Ral+ is a
winning check!
3S NeS+
••.
36.Kh2 Rxf3!
37.Rxe2 Ng4+
1 70
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Alexander Alekhine (1 892-1946)
36.Kh3 Ne3+
39.Kh2 Nxc2
4O.Bxf3 Nd4
Black forks the White Rook and Bishop and White resigns rather than play
41.Re3 Nxf3+ 42.Rxf3. Bd5!, when the new fork by the Black Bishop leads
to the capture of the White Knight.
An amazing game, and a far cry from the little combinations we are used
to seeing from lesser mortals! Such tremendous tactical vision is extremely
rare. If you soared like I did when, as a 14-year-old, I saw it for the first time,
then recounting this great game has been a pleasure for us both. Like a
beautiful painting, I have presented this work of art as something to marvel
at and enjoy. If this book has helped you unlock the secrets of this combi
nation and appreciate it just a little, then I am well pleased.
Alekhine-Em. Lasker
Zurich, 1 934
The last Alekhine gem I'll cover shows him destroying the immortal Eman
uel Lasker.
1 .d4 ds
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Nfb
4.Nf3 Be7
S.BgS Nbd7
b.e3 0-0
7.Rc1 Cb
6.Bd3 dxc4
9.Bxc4 Nds
Black's ninth move was introduced by Jose Raul Capablanca as a maneuver
to free up space in the Queen's Gambit Declined. Black is following the
strategic principle that the side with less territory should exchange some
pieces to relieve the cramp.
1 71
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
1 0.Bxe7 Qxe7
1 1 .Ne4
This is Alekhine's invention. The mature Alekhine is quite happy to go
directly into 1 l ...Qb4+ 12.Qd2 Qxd2+ 13.Kxd2, with a slightly superior
endgame.
11 •.. NSf6
1 2.Ng3 eS
1 3.0-0 exd4
14.NfS
A better move is probably 14.exd4 followed by 15.Rel, when White intro
duces his Rook with tempo. Eventually Black would obtain equality.
1 4 Qd8
•.•
lS.N3xd4 NeS
1 6.Bb3 BxfS
1 7.NxfS Qb6?
This move is the cause of Black'sfuture problems. The forcing 17...g6 would
chase the f5-Knight away from its fine position and equalize the game.
The position seemed rather simple a move or two ago, but now Alekhine
takes the initiative and, creating threat after threat, never lets up.
1 8.Qd6! Ned7
19.Rfd1 Rad8
20.Qg3 g6
21.Qg5!
Now, Rd6 threatens to hit Black's Knight.
21 ..• Kh8
22.Nd6
And here, 23.Nxf7+ threatens to munch material.
22 ... Kg7
23.e4!
The e-pawn joins in the attack. This move also frees the 3rd rank for White's
Rooks to come to the Kingside.
1 72
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Alexander Alekhine ( 1 892-1946)
23...Ng8
24.Rd3
White correctly brings in reinforcements to gel lo Black's King.
24 .f6
••
1 73
CHAPTER N INETEEN
Mikhail Tal
(1 936-1 992)
W
hen Alexander Alekhine
died in 1946, there were
no tactical wizards wait
ing in the wings to take his place_
The science of pure chess took cen
ter stage, and the chief of the scien
tists, Mikhail Botvinnik, reigned
from 1948 to 1960, with the exception
of a one-year period when he lost the
title to Vasily Smyslov-winning it
back in a rematch. This impressive
performance seemed to indicate that
all future World Champions would be positional players. Little did the
chess world suspect that another firebrand would appear and take the game
by storm.
Mikhail Tal was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1936. During his professional
career, his style was characterized by risk and daring, and he reveled in
tactical duels and complex combinations. A man of unbelievable tactical
vision, he was able to calculate long, complicated variations after merely
glancing at a position. Considered to be an unsound player, he neverthe
less confounded his critics by consistently winning tournament after tour
nament In 1960, at the tender age of 24, Tal achieved the unthinkable,
1 75
PART 2 : G reat Tacticians and Their Games
knocking Botvinnik aside and claiming the World Champion title as his
own. Botvinnik said:
I was surprised by his ability to figure out complex variations. Then the
way he sets out the game; he was not interested in the objectivity of the
position, whether it's better or worse, he onty needed room for his pieces.
All you do then is figure out variations which are extremely difficult. He
was tactically outplaying me and I made mistakes:
Did Ta1's coronation mean that a new era of attacking play was at hand?
Many players thought so, and some coaches went so far as to insist that
their students play aggressively and sacrifice whenever possible. As Ta1 put it
These poor young players must have breathed a sigh of relief when I lost
the title back to Botvinnik (in 19tH). Now they could play calm positional
chess again!
Tal-Miller
Simultaneous
Los Angeles, 1 988
The first Tal game we'1l look at is remarkable not because Tal was playing
a simultaneous exhibition of 20 to 40 games (most top players can handle
this type of simultaneous exhibition), but because he defeated his opponent
in such a stunning way. lnstead of being upset at his loss, Ta1's victim wore
a beaming smile after the game. After all, by losing to a piece of typica1 Tal
brilliance, he became part of the Tal legend. Here's the game:
1 .e4 e5
2.M3 Ne6
3.Be4 Nf6
By playing the complicated Two Knights' Defense, Black indicates his
desire to beat his illustrious opponent.
1 76
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Mikhail Tal ( 1 930-1 992)
4.d4
White strives for the initiative. rejecting the critical 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 NaS
6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6. which gives Black the initiative as compensation for
his sacrificed pawn.
4 d6
••.
7.QdS+
White forks the Black King and e4-Knight.
7...Be6
B.Qxe4
The smoke clears to reveal thatWhite's combination has produced dramatic
results. He is up a pawn, and Black's King is uncomfortably placed on f7.
B... Be7
9.0-0 ds
1 0.Qd3 Qd7
1 1 .Re1 RafB
1 2.Nc3 KeB
1 3.NgS BeS
1 4.Nxe6!?
Now White moves into a realm of great complexity.
1 4 ... Bxf2+
1S.Kh1 Bxe1
16.Nxf8 Rxf8
1 7.BgS
1 77
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
White's move threatens 18.Rxel and capture ofthe Black Bishop. However,
Black notices that he can create a back rank checkmate with ... Rfl if he can
force White's Queen away from the defense of the fl-square.
1 7 Nb4
.••
1 8.Qe2 Nxc2!
This chance to battle Tal tactically on a one·to-one basis must have given
Black great pleasure. Now 19.Qxc2 is not possible because 19.... Rfl results
in checkmate.
19.e6 Qd6
20.Nb5! Qe5!
At this point, the spectators thought that Black would win. White's Queen,
Rook, and Bishop all hang because 21.QxeS?? loses to 2l...Rf1 Checkmate.
How can White survive?
21 .h4!! (144)
Simply superb. White's move defends his Bishop, stops the back rank
checkmate, and threatens to capture Black's Queen. And as if that weren't
enough, 2l...Qxe2 and 21.. .Qxb2 both run into 22.Nxc7 Checkmate. "So we
.
were wrong," cried the audience, "Tal was winning all along."
21 ...Qg3!
Black threatens both ...Nxal and
...Rf2. Excitement mounts in the
crowd! Will Black win after all?
22.Rd1 !!
The tricky point of White's play!
Now 22 ...c6 is strongly countered by
23.Rd3! Qb8 24.Rf3!, when 24...cxbs
loses to 2S.Qxb5+. However, Black
has another option.
22...Rf2
White must now find some way to
DIACRAM 1 44. answer Black's threat of ... Qxg2
Checkmate.
1 78
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Mikhail Tal (1 936-1992)
23.Qxf2!!
Now White's intentions are finally clear.
23 Bxf2
•••
2S.Bxh4 Bxh4
26.Nxc7+
White, a full Exchange up, can win as he pleases.
26 KfB
•••
27.Rf5+ Bf6
2B.Rds a6
29.Rd7 Nb4
30.Rf7+ KgB
31 .Rxf6!
Another tactic. After 3l...gxf6 32.e7, the pawn will become a Queen.
31 ••• Nc6
32.Rf7 g6
33.e7!
Black resigns.
Tal-Forbis
Simultaneous
Chicago, 1 988
The next game was also played in a simultaneous exhibition, so once again,
keep in mind that these brilliant moves occurred whileTalwas playing more
than 30 games at once!
1 79
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
1 .e4 eS
2.Nf3 d6
3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
S.Nc3 g6
6.Be3 Bg7
7.f3 Ne6
8.Qd2 0·0
9.Be4
This is the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian. The Dragon leads to violent
struggles and suits the desires of both players.
9 Nd7!?
••.
Black has enjoyed excellent results in other games with this rare sideline,
so he decides to use it here.
10.h4 Nb6
1 1 .Bb3 NaS
1 2.hs Nbe4
1 3.Qe2 Nxe3
1 4.Qxe3 Nxb3
l S.axb3 Bd7
Black has managed to eat both of White's attacking Bishops. Does the fact
that his opponent lost time while executing this maneuver compensate
White enough for the capture of his clerics?
1 6.0·0·0 e6
17.f4! Qb6
1 8.f5!
White tries to crack open the enemy King's defenses before Black's Bishops
can do any damage.
1 8...gxfS
The greedy alternative, 18...e5, loses to 19.Nd5 exd4 20.Ne7+ Kh8 21.hxg6
fxg6 22.fxg6 dxe3 23.Rxh7 Checkmate.
180
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Mikhail Tal ( 1 9 36-1 992)
19.exfS Kh8
20.Rhfl Bxd4?
A calmer reaction is 20 ... Rg8, when 2l.f6 can be met by 2l...Bfs with a sharp
struggle ahead. However, afraid that his Bishop might be buried, Black
quickly exchanges it.
21 .Rxd4 e5
Black hopes after 22.. Rd3 Qxe3+ to trade Queens.-White, of course, has no
intention of exchanging his most powerful attack weapon.
22.Qh6!
White offers up his Rook.
22 ...Qxd4
23.Qf6+ Kg8
24.NdS!! (145)
The alternative 24.Qg5+ KhS 25.h6 would be met by 25... e4 and result
in the Black Queen's defense of the g7-square. Also useless is 24.h6 Qg4,
with the Queen once again defending the g7-square. After 24.Nd5, Black
can't capture the Knight with 24 ... Qxd5 because 25.Qg5+ Khs 26.h6
RgS 27.Qf6+ leads to checkmate.
White's brilliant 24th move is a de
flection sacrifice. He offers his
Knight so that Black's Queen will be
drawn away from the a1-hS diagonal.
Then Black no longer has the possi
bility of ...e4 because his Queen is
no longer defending the g7-square.
24... Rfe8
Black stops the threatened 25.Ne7
Checkmate.
2S.QgS+ Kh8
26.h6 DIAGRAM 145.
1 81
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
27.f6
White blocks Black's Queen and once again threatens Qg7 Checkmate.
27 Rg8
•••
28.Qg7+! Rxg7
29.hxg7+ Kg8
30.Ne7 Checkmate!
Absolutely amazing!
Gurgenidze-Tal
Moscow, 1 957
This chapter's final game shows how the young Tal played against other
Grandmasters. He often destroyed them as easily as he destroyed the
amateurs in the previous games!
1 .d4 Nf6
2.c4 c5
3.d5 e6
Black's use ofthis Modem Benoni System completely revitalized the whole
opening.
4.Nc3 exd5
5.cxd5 d6
6.Nf3 g6
7.e4 Bg7
8.Be2 0-0
9.0-0 Re8
The pressure is on White's e4-pawn. Usually Black tries to use his Queen
side pawn majority by playing for a ...b7-b5 advance, and White tries to use
his central pawn majority by playing for an e4--e5 advance. In this game,
none of these strategies materializes because White's King ends up on the
firing line!
1 82
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Mikhail Tal (1936-1992)
10.Nd2 Na6
1 1 .Re1 Nc7
This Knight was placed here to help Black play for ...b7-bS.
1 2.a4
That's the end of Black's threatened Queenside expansion.
1 2 ...b6
1 3.Qc2 Ng4
The threat of 14... Qh4 seems to force White to play 14.Bxg4 with chances
for both players. Instead, White innocently tries to chase the Knight back.
1 4.h3? Nxf2!! (146)
As you can see in Diagram 146, all thoughts of subtle pawn majority play
dissolve as Black sacrifices a Knight and starts a King hunt.
1 5.Kxf2 Qh4+
16.Kf1
Playing 16.Kgl is impossible because of 16...Qxel+, and 16.g3 Bd4+ forces
checkmate.
1 6...Bd4
1 7.Ndl
White covers the checkmate on f2. With 18.Nf3 to come, he thinks he is
safe, but Black's next move comes as
a rude shock.
1 7 ...Qxh3!
Black bursts through White's King
side and threatens 18 ... Qhl with
checkmate. Note that 18.gxh3?? is
bad because the pretty 18 ... Bxh3
is checkmate.
1 8.Bf3 Qh2
19.Ne3 f5!
Black calmly plays to open new lines
of attack.
DIAGRAM 146.
183
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
20.Ndc4 fxe4
21.Bxe4 Ba6
White's Knight is pinned, and Black threatens 22 ... Bxc4+ 23.Nxc4 (or
23.Qxc4 Rxe4) 23 ...Qg1 24.Ke2 Qxg2+, with an easy win. .
22.BO Re5
Black is preparing to double his Rooks on the e-file. White is powerless to
stop him from building up for the final assault.
23.Ra3 RaeB
24.Bd2 Nxd5!
Now every Black piece is taking part in the battle.
25.BxdS+
White avoids 25.Nxd5?? Qgl Checkmate.
25 Rxd5
•••
26.Ke2
Playing 26.Nxd5 10ses to 26... Qgl Checkmate. With 26.Ke2, White hopes to
run his King to the safety of the Queenside, but he is shot down.
26 Bxe3
•••
27.Rxe3 Bxc4+
White resigns because neither 28.Qxc4 Qxg2+ 29.Kdl Qxd2 Checkmate nor
28.Kdl Rxe3 29.Rxe3 Qxg2 are very attractive.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Tal was the public's favorite
chess player for a long, long time!
184
CHAPTER TWENTY
Garry Kasparov
(1 963- )
A
fter Mikhail Botvinnik re
gained his title in 1961, play
ers with positional styles
once again held the highest chess
titles. The world of chess was domi
nated by the likes of Tigran Petros
yan, with his motto of "safety first";
Boris Spassky. who had an aggres
sive, universal style; and Bobby Fi
scher, who had a very clear, simple,
classic style. In 1975, Anatoly Karpov
won the title by default from Fischer.
Thereafter, Karpovset outto prove that he deserved to be World Champion.
With his refined, dry style and relentless precision, he crushed everyone in
sight. People dreamed of a Tal-like player who would rise up and brighten
the chess world with tactical fantasy.
The dream became reality when Garry Kasparov won the title from
Karpov in 1985 at just 22 years.of age! Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, Kasparov
is considered by many to be a reincarnation of Alexander Alekhine. A master
of all openings, Kasparov slices and dices his opponents with a combinative
vision that is every bit the equal of Tars and Alekhine's. The excitement of
Kasparov's style has revitalized interest in chess.
185
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
In the following three contests, we'll see how Kasparov crushes his
opponents. All three opponents are among the world's strongest Grand
masters, but none of them can stand up to Kasparov's hammer-like blows.
Hiibner-Kasparov
Hamburg, 1 985
Match Game 1
In a six-game training match, Kasparov clobbered Germany's top player.
The match ended in a 4\1.!-to-l\l.! victory for Kasparov. This, the first game
of the match, was an indication of things to come.
1 .c4
The English Opening. A couple of years after this game, Kasparov started
playing this opening himself.
1 . e5
••
2.Nc3 d6
3.d4 exd4
4.Qxd4 Nf6
5.g3 Nc6
6.Qd2
This move seems to block the dark-squared Bishop, but White actually
intends to develop this Bishop on the al-h8 diagonal with b3 and Bb2.
6...Be6
7.Nds Ne5
8.b3 Ne4
9.Qe3 Nc5!?
1 0.Bb2?
This natural move turns out badly because after ...c6 and ..Qa5 it exposes
.
White to check along the a5-el diagonal. Correct is lO.Bg2! c6 1l.Nc3 a5,
with opportunities for both players.
1 86
CHAPTER TWENTY: Garry Kasparov (1 963- )
1 0...c6
1 1 .Nf4?
Another poor move. Imperative is 11.Nc3 Ng4 12.Qd4 Be7, which keeps
Black's advantage to a minimum. Now White is put on the defensive, and
he never recovers.
1 1 ... Ng4!
1 2.Qd4?!
Confused, White allows himseH to be dragged into a tactical grinder. A better
move is 12.Nxe6 Nxe3 13.NxdB Nc2+ 14.Kd1 Nxal 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 I6.Bxa1
Bxe7, even though Black then has a big advantage.
1 2... Ne4!! (147)
A shocker that hangs the Black Knight in midair. As you can see in Diagram
147, the immediate threats are 13... Ngxf2 and 13 ... Qa5+. White faces disaster
after only twelve moves.
1 3.Bh3
White's King now hasfl to run to. White avoids I3.Qxe4 Qa5+ 14.Kd1 Nxf2+,
which produces a royal fork. Also unpleasant is 13.Ngh3 Qa5+ I4.Kdt d5,
with a crushing attack. (You don't want your King running around in the
center against Kasparov!)
1 3...Qa5!+
Black doesn't fall for 13...Ngxf2?
14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.Nxe6 Qa5+ 16.Bc3!,
which leaves matters far from clear.
14.Kf1 Ngxf2
1 5.Bxe6
After 15.Nxe6 fxe6 1 6.Bxe6 Be7!
17.Qxg7 RiB 1B.Kg2 Nxh1 19.Kxh1
Qd2, Black still has a winning attack.
1 5 ...fxe6
1 6.Nxe6 Kd7!
DIAGRAM 147.
This move attacks the White Knight,
prepares the way for a Rook on eB,
187
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
and stops any future Knight forks that White might make with Nc7. One of
the keys to good chess is making moves that further both defensive and
attacking plans at the same time.
1 7.Nh3 Nxh3!
1 8.Qxe4 Re8
1 9.NcS+
Desperate, White is trying to draw the Black Queen away from the d2-
SQuare. If he plays 19.Qg4 instead, Rxe6 20.Qxh3 Qd2 leads to a crushing
double attack against b2 and e2.
1 9...QxcS
20.Qg4+ Kc7
21 .Qxh3 Be7!
Black's remaining forces Quietly join in the attack. The great attackers
always seem to know when to pause and bring up reinforcements. Ofcourse,
Black cares nothing for the g7-pawn.
22.Bxg7 Rhf8+!
This Exchange sacrifice initiates the final phase of the game-a direct
attack on the White King.
23.Brl8 Rd8+
24.Kel Qf2+
2S.Kdl Qd4+
26.Kc2 Qe4+!
27.Kd2 Bg5+
28.Kc3 Qes+
White resigns-he has suffered enough. The finish would have been 29.Kh4
(or 29.Kc2 Qxe2+) 29...Bd2+ 30.Ka3 Bc3 31.Qxh7+ KbS, after which the dual
threat of 32".Bxal and 32... QaS Checkmate leads to White's demise. A typi
cal Kasparov attack.
188
CHAPTER TWENTY: Garry Kasparov ( 1 963- )
Kasparov-U. Andersson
Tilburg, 1 981
Because o f his style o f play, Ulf Andersson i s considered to be one of the
world's most difficult players to beat. Whereas many players seek action
and attacking chances for their own pieces, Andersson's goal is simply to
stymie the activity of his opponent's pieces. The would-be attacker becomes
increasingly frustrated, often lashing out with an unsound sacrifice that this
defense-minded Grandmaster simply pockets. However, asyou11 see in this
game, the 18-year-Qld Kasparov did not seem to be impressed!
1 .d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
1.Nf1 b6
4.a3
This is the Petrosyan System of the Queen's Indian Defense, which is one
of Kasparov's most polent weapons.
4 Bb7
..•
5.Nc1 Ne4
The more common 5 ... d5 Ieads to a harder struggle. (Because Kasparov is
a renowned expert in this type of play, Andersson wants to keep things quiet
and therefore provokes an exchange of pieces.)
6.Nxe4 Bxe4
7.Nd2! Bg6?!
The retreat 7...Bb7 is better.
8.g1!
Now White's Bishop can take control of the long diagonal.
8 Nc6
.•.
9.e1 aM
189
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
This passive move wastes time and allows White to gain some territory on
the Queenside.
10.b4! b5
1 1 .cxb5 axb5
1 2.8b2
White avoids 12.Bxb5? Nxb4! because the pin along the a-file prevents him
from capturing the Black Knight.
1 2...Na7
Black is forced to move his Knightto this terrible square because the b-pawn
is in need of defense.
1 3.h4!
Suddenly, White lashes out on the Kingside. This space-gaining move
threatens 14.h5 Bf5 15.g4, which traps the Black Bishop.
1 3...116
Black gives his Bishop the h7-square to run to.
14.d5!
This pawn sacrifice gives White's b2-Bishop room for maximum activity.
(Kasparov's main concern in chess is not material but rather gain of tempo
and the activity potential of his pieces.)
1 4 exd5
.•.
1 5.8g2 c6
More gain of tempo. White trades an aggressive piece move (which devel
ops the piece) for Black's defensive pawn move.
16.0-0
Now White is fully mobilized and ready to start a furious attack.
1 6 16
.••
Black blocks the al-hS diagonal. He would love to play 16...Be7 and 17. .0-0,
.
but any move by his dark-squared Bishop allows 17.Bxg7 and loses a pawn.
As a result, Black's King can't evacuate the center as soon as he would like.
1 7.Rfel !
White is preparing to rip open the center with e3-e4.
1 7... 8e7
1 90
CHAPTER TWENTY: Garry Kasparov (1963- )
Also hopeless is 24 ...Bxf6 25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Re6!, because when
the f6-pawn falls, the Black King falls with it (The alternative 26...Qxf6
27.Re8 is checkmate.) Note that the White Rook cannot be taken because
of the pin on the d-file.
25.Qg6+ Kf8
26.Bct !
Retreating moves tend to be hard to find. This one threatens 27.Bxh6+,
getting to Black's King.
26 ds••.
27.Rd4!
191
PART 2 : Great Tacticians and Their Games
2B.Rg4
White keeps bringing new pieces to join the attack. Now he threatens
29.Qg7+, which captures Black's h8-Rook.
2B Nf7
•••
This move defends both h8 and h6. Has White made a mistake?
29.Bxh&+!
This move shatters that illusion. Now 29...Nxh6 30.Qg7+ leads to a decisive
material gain, and 29...Rxh6 allows 30.Qg8 Checkmate.
29... KeB
30.Bg7
Black resigns. After 30 Rg8 31.h6 followed by 32.h7, he can't prevent the
..•
Kasparov-Cheorghiu
Moscow, 1 982
In 1982, the young Garry Kasparov was emerging as one of the strongest
Grandmasters in the world. The 1982 Moscow tournament represented his
greatest test to date. Playing against a whole galaxy ofchess stars, Kasparov
earned second prize behind World Champion Anatoly Karpov. The game I
discuss here was critical to Kasparov's high standing. He convincingly took
apart Romanian Grandmaster F10rin Gheorghiu in the best game of the
tournament.
1 .d4 Nf&
2.c4 e6
3.Nf3 b&
192
CHAPTER TWENTY: Garry Kasparov (1 963- )
4.Nc3 Bb7
S.a3 dS
6.cxds Nxds
Black plays one of the critical lines of defense against the Petrosyan System
of the Queen's Indian Defense. (Is it wise to get into a slugfest with Kas
parov in his favorite opening?)
7.Qc2 cS
8.e4 Nxc3
9.bxc3 Be7
10.BbS+
White tosses in this move for two reasons: first, because Black's Bishop is
not as well placed on c6 as on b7; and second, because this move takes the
c6-square away from the Black Knight.
10 Bc6
••.
1 1 .Bd3 Nd7
1 2.0-0 h6
1 3.Rfdl QcU
Black had to castle. (As I said, it's not wise to leave your IGng in the center
against this guy!)
1 4.dS!
The pawn is sacrificed to open up the center files, the route to Black's IGng.
(Kasparov is already smelling blood!)
1 4...exds
I S.exdS BxdS
1 6.BbS a6
Black hopes for 17.Bxd7+ Qxd7 1S.c4 Be4!, from which he escapes with
minor injuries. He also considered 16... Be6, but after 17.Bf4! Qb7 18.Bxc6
Qxc6 19.Re1, his IGng would be stuck in the center for a long time.
1 7.Bf4! (149)
193
PART 2: Great Tacticians and Their Games
1 8.Bxd7+ Kxd7
19.RxdS+ Ken
Black makes the unfortunate deci
sion to run in the wrong direction
with his King. The Queenside won't
on the e-file.
21 .Rf5
White never lets up. (Notice how every move Kasparov plays is aggressive
and full of purpose.) He follows the advice of the Confederate cavalryman
Nathan Bedford Forest who said, "When you got 'em runnin', keep 'em
runnin·."
21 Qe4
•..
23.Rxf7 + Kb8
24.Re6 Rd8
194
CHAPTER TWENTY: Garry Kasparov (1 963- )
25.C4 Qc6
26.Ne5
The Bishop is pinned, so the Knight joins in the attack.
26 ...Qc8
27.Qb 1 !
Black resigns. He cannot allow 28.Qxb6+, but 27...b5 28.cxb5 Bxe5 29.bxa6+
is the end. The attempt to defend the b6-pawn with 27. . .Bc7 fails to
28.Rxb6+! Ka7 (or 28...Bxb6 29.Qxb6+ Checkmate) 29.Nc6 Checkmate. An
other one bites the dust!
195
PART 3
.
• .�_
_ .•._.•.•.•._.•._.r._.•.r
..._.•.•�
.. .
.'.._.••
•.',..
'.
More Tests
and Sol utions
.
_.�..
_•.•._.•.•.�.r
.•.•.•.•••.
'•.•.•.r
..._.•••••�
•�.�
.
As its title indicates, Part 3 starts with a series of tests. Unlike the tests in
the chapters in Part 1, these tests are presented cold-I don't give you any
clues about which tactics might be involved. Finding out whether check
mate is possible or whether the capture of a single pawn is the solution I'm
looking for will cost you some moments of concentration, just as it would in
a real game. As well as trying to solve the problem correctly, write down
your answers, indicate the tactic associated with the problem, and note any
variations that come to mind. Try to discover not only the best move, but
also the best defense and how to win against that best move. Pursue the
positions as far as you can.
So that you can judge how well you've done, I've assigned a point
value to each of the tests in these chapters. When you have fmished all the
tests, look up the answers and calculate your score. You can then compare
your total score to the evaluations at the end of Chapter Twenty-Five.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
y•••••••, ••
'• ' M•• �•
'••• ".•
• � •.'
•• ., .
• ••••• 1 "
• •., .. ..
,.... . •.
� .•..
•.
Basic Tactics
T
hiS chapter tests your grasp of basic tactics such as pins, forks,
discovered attacks, skewers, and the like. The goal is to get your gray
matter primed and ready for the more difficult challenges in Chapter
Twenty-Two. Be sure to record your solutions. Good luck!
• TEST 93. White to play. " TEST 94. White to play. , TEST 95. While to play.
• TEST 96. Black to play. -TEST 97. While to play. TEST 98. White to play.
Maric-Gligoric Book-Saila
Belgrade, 1962 Stockholm, 1 946
1 99
PART 3: More Tests and Solutions
TEST 99. Wh�e to play. TEST 100. White to play. TEST 101. Black to play.
Study by A. White, 1919 Seirawan-korchnoi Dantas-Wexler
Las Palmas, 1981 Mar del Plata, 1951
TEST 1 02. White to play. TEST 103. Black to play. TEST 1 04. Black to play.
SzabO-Ban Cohen-Seirawan Kleist-Wilke
Budapest, 1947 US Open, 1977 SaarbrUcken, 1 958
TEST 105. Black to play. TEST 106. White to play. TEST 107. White to play.
N. Weinstein-Seirawan Toran-Kuypers Petrosyan-Spassky
Montreal, 1 977 Malaga, 1965 Moscow, 1966
200
CHAPTER TWENTY-Two
•*•_�
\7 ..•__
, ¥..... •.•_•.•
•• • •. •�r , '•.c•
:_•..
.•.••'..
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ilJr ' �
Advanced Combinations
OU
Y
should be nice and warmed up after Chapter Twenty-One_ The
following problems are considerably more difficult, so correct solu
tions earn more points_ Once again, be sure to record your solutions
and include as much insight into the position as you can.
- TEST 1 08_ While 10 play_ - TEST 1 09_ While 10 play. TEST 1 1 0. Black 10 play_
Seirawan-Bisguier Cudinovskih--Muravev Przepi6r1<a-Ahues
US Open, 1977 USSR, 1 99O Kecsi<emet, 1927
201
PART 3: More Tests and Solutions
TEST 120. White to play. TEST 1 2 1 . White to play. TEST 122. White to play.
I. Figaro-Bjerring Alekhine-Nestor 8areev-Kupreichik
Gausdal, 1 989 Trinidad, 1939 USSR, 1 990
202
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
. .� . . .� .,. .,.�,.,. . . . . �. . .� . . . .
Professional Combinations
fkiyou'nd ofveplmade
ayer it
whoth is
enjfar
oysthrough
a challethe
nge.test
Welchapt
l, let ers,
me you
warn are
you:clearl
The yteth
stes
Itheintetsthiss, chapter are to ugh, and do mean tough. When you'
add up your score to see how tactically gifted you are.
I ve compl e ted
.. TEST 123. White to play. TEST 124. White to play. • TEST 125. White to play.
Shankarananda-Ashton P.f. Sdlmidt-P.R.Schmidt Seirawan-Zaltsman
Santa Monica, 1991 Heidelberg, 1 946 New York, 1 987
TEST 126. White to play. TEST 1 27. White to play. TEST 1 28. 8lack to play.
Rossolimo-Reissman Study by A. Kakovin, 1 961 8annik-Cherepkov
San Juan, 1 967 USSR, 1 961
203
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
TEST 129. White to play. TEST 130. Black to play. TEST 1 31 . White to play.
Study by Mandler Liddel-Silman Study by S. Kaminer, 1935
and I. Konig, 1 924 San Diego, 1971
TEST 132. White to play. TEST 1 33. White to play. TEST 1 34. Black to play.
Study by V. and M. Platov, Tal-Bohnisch
1907 Berlin, 1 969
Is 1 . . . Rxc3 a strong move
for Black?
TEST 135. White to play. TEST 13&. Black to play. TEST 1 37. White to play.
Oskam-NN Rotlewj...u
.R binstein Steinilz-Von Bardeleben
Rotterdam, 1927 Lodz, 1907 Hastings, 1895
204
CHAPTER TWENTy-FOUR
'
Solutions to
Tests from Part 1
n this chapter, I have gathered together the solutions to the tests pre
TEST 4 : The stunning 1.8gB!, which threatens both the Queen and a
check- mate on h7, is a winner for White.
TEST 5 : Best is I.Nf5!, which threatens the Black Queen and opens up
the White Queen's path to the checkmating h8-square. (In this case, a piece
discovers an attack against a square instead of against a piece or pawn.)
TEST 6 : The elegant solution is I .RcS! Rxa7. The pawn must be captured;
otherwise, a8=Q forces the capture of a Rook. Then 2.Kb6+ is a discovered
check, which captures the Rook.
205
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
TEST 7: White plays the interference move l .BdS!, which ends Black's
protection of the as-Rook and makes a discovered attack on the f7-pawn.
For Black, 1...Raxds 2.Qxf7+, t .. RfS 2.QxaS, and 1...Qf5 2.QxaS are all
.
hopeless.
TEST 8: White plays l .Rxf6!, with a double threat of 2.Qxg4 and 2.Rg6+
(the dreaded double check). Black should play 1...Nxf6 2.Qxg4, even
though this sequence leaves White with a Bishop and two pawns for the
Exchange (full material equality) , and the pin still causes Black gTeat
anguish. Instead, Black can't resist the bait offered on dt, and with
1 . .. Bxdl?, he chops off the White Queen. The conclusion is made possible
by a double check: 2.Rg6++ (attacking Black's King with both the Bishop
on b2 and the Rook on g6; note that the Rook on g6 is defended by the
Bishop on d3) 2 Kh7 3.Rg7++ (another double discovered check, this
•••
time with the d3-Bishop as the Rook's partner) 3 KhS (the Rook can't be
•••
TEST 9: Lured by the prospect of taking a pawn and attacking the Black
Knight, White could play l.Qxa4. Unfortunately, with l...Qc7, Black can hold
on. Emanual Lasker once said, "When you see a good move, you must sit
on your hands and look for a better one." This bit of wisdom serves White
well here. If he plays l.QdS+, after 1 . Kh7 2.Qxa5, he wins a piece.
••
TEST 10: White wins with l .Rxc6!, snaring a pawn and drawing the de
fender away from the critical e7-square. Black can't take the Rook because
1...Rxc6 2.Ne7+ leads to a family fork.
TEST 1 1 : As before, White can chop off the c-pawn with l.Nxc6!, after
which 1...Qxc6? 2.Ne7+ captures the Queen. All well and good, but what
happens if Black plays 1 . Nxc6 instead, covering the e7-square with two
••
pieces? White blasts this threat apart with 2.Qxc6! Qxc6 3.Ne7+, recov
ering the Queen and ending up with an extra pawn.
206
CHI\PIER TWENTY-FOUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
TEST 12: White can start a series of checks that soon lead to a fork on the
Black King and the loose a3-Bishop: l.Qa8+ Kd7 2.Qc6+ Kc8 3.Qa6+,
which wins the Bishop. Don't forget Silman's Rules of Recognition:
When an enemy piece is undefended and the enemy King is weak, a
tactical move has a good chance ofsuccess.
TEST 1 3: The tempting l.Qf5? threatens both the d7-Knight and a check
mate on h7. However, Black can parry both threats with 1 ...Nf6. So I played
the forceful l.Nxh7! Kxh7 2.Qf5+ Kg8 3.Qxd7, which netted me an
extra pawn and an eventual victory.
TEST 14: White found the exceedingly strong l.Qc4!!, which led to Black's
immediate resignation! Because this move threatens Black's Rook on c8 and
sets up 2.Qg8 Checkmate (it forks a Rook and a checkmating square), Black
has no time to capture the loose White Rook on e8, and 1. . .Rxc4 is
answered by 2.Rxf8 Checkmate.
TEST 1 5 : Black creates a fork by giving his Queen away with 1 . . . QgI +!,
and White gives up. Why? Black's move forces the White King to retreat to
the unfortunate gl-square with 2.KxgI, after which Black can take a Bishop
with 2... Nxe2+ and simultaneously fork the King and Queen. Because Black
is then up a piece, White resigns.
TEST 1 6 : I was able to fork White's Queen and Bishop with 1 .. . Nce5!.
Then, when White's pawn takes one Knight off the board with 2.dxe5, my
other horse is able to take its place: 2...Nxe5 3.Qg3 Nxc4. This combina
tion leaves me with an extra pawn plus a good position, and I went on to win
the game.
207
PART 3: More Tests and Solutions
TEST 18: White's b6-pawn is blocked by its Black counterpart on b7. Seeing
that the pawn advance would be strong, White plays l .Rxc6+!. Then
1 •.• bxc6 2.b7+ leads to a fork that immediately regains the Rook and leaves
White with an extra piece for a pawn (a 2-point advantage) .
TEST 1 9: White plays a combination that depends on many factors for its
ultimate success: 1.RxcS!+ RxcS (1...Kxc8 is impossible because of
2.Rxe8+; note that the Knight on e8 needs to be carefully watched)
2.d7! (a
pawn fork) 2 Kxd7 (a forced capture, but now Black's King is on the same
•••
diagonal as his Rook) 3.Bg4+ (skewering the King and Rook) 3 KdS •••
TEST 21 : I'm willing to sacrifice a Rook and a Knight in order to achieve the
position shown in Test 20: l .Rxh7! Kxh7? (in the actual game, Black
played 1...f5, and after 2.Rh 1, I was a pawn ahead and eventually won)
2.Ng5+ (having pulled Black's King to the vulnerable h7-square, I sacrifice
another piece to make way for my Queen) 2 fxg5 (better is 2...Kg8, but
•••
then 3.Nxe6 gets back all my material plus dividends of a pawn) 3.Qh5+
(notice the similarities between Test 21 and Test 20; the Black King will be
checkmated because his pinned pawn cannot capture the White Queen)
3 ••• Kg7 4.Qxg6+ KhS 5.Qh7 Checkmate. As this example shows, no
material price is too much to pay if it enables you to force a checkmate!
TEST 22: White has to play l.Khl. If he plays l.Bd4??, he loses a piece
because this Bishop is then pinned to the King, making 1... Qxe5! possible.
208
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
TEST 25: White's l.Qxa7 is a pretty strong move, but he can smash Black
completely with l .RdS+! because the forced 1 . KxdS creates a pin on the
•.
Knight (the Black Queen's only defender) . After 2.Qxc6, Black gives up.
This example demonstrates an important principle:
A piece that is suffering under an absolute pin can't defend anything.
TEST 26: Warning: Even absolute pins can be broken! After the blunder
1 . . . Qxf6??, White plays 2.Rxc5!. Suddenly Black's pin is gone! Notice that
2...bxc5 is a bad idea because of 3.Bxf6, so Black must move his Queen and
accept the loss of a piece.
TEST 27: Far from it! Black loses a whole Knight to l .Qxe4!, which makes
use of the pin against Black's d5-pawn. If Black defends his Queen, the
White Queen retreats to safety. and 1 ...dxe4 2.Rxd7 is also quite hopeless
for Black.
TEST 28: If you said "Yes," then you fell for my trap! Making use of the
relative pin on the bl-h7 diagonal with l.Nxg4?? looks promising (the
f5-pawn can't move because of Bxg6) until Black bashes you with 1 . ..Bh5!
and an absolute counter-pin! White's shortsighted greed then costs him
his Knight.
209
PART 3; More Tests and Solutions
onst
TEST 29: Though
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ts vulurenerabiWhi t e' s e5-Kni
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playing ofthe pin on the d-fiJe.) am(Thenowd4-upd ly def e nded, dem
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4.Rfl c5
White resigns. th e al-h8 di a gonal
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3.Re4 Bf6
BlBecause
ack's KniBlagckhthasto hinos wayRooktoanddefetndhreatthiesniKningg3.htB,xf6,he wiwhil havech witonaccept
TEST 30: l.Rxf6! Nxf6 2.BgS,
s a pietce.he
loss of two pieces for a Rook (a loss of point).
ive pin wimitAfter neouslBlBlyadefckackeisndisunlablhiusecky.Knito gstWhiht.epOrdi
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TEST 3 1 :
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te can creat e a
new absol ut e pi n
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with the defensi (and thvreate ening thbreaks e winnitheng
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in he is compel le d
worsen his position. Black would like to "Pass," but cannot legally do so.
zugzwang- to move,
say
but any move he makes wi l
210
CHAPTER TWENTy-FOUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
TEST 35: White can take his pick of skewers. Both 1 .Be8 followed by the
capture of one of the Rooks and 1 .Ra5+ Kd6 2.Rxb5 Kxd7 leave White
with a one-pawn advantage.
TEST 36: White has three different skewer possibilities. He can play 1.Qc2+,
skewering Black's King and Bishop; or 1.Qe2+, skewering Black's King and
Rook; or 1.Qg2+, skewering Black's King and Queen. White should play
1.Qg2+ because the Queen is the most valuable piece. Note that l.Qb4+
wins the Black Rook but is a fork, not a skewer.
21 1
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
TEST 38: The first idea is poor, but the mystery move is l .Bd4+!, which
forks Black's King and Bishop and forces 1 . .. Bxd4, stalemating White's
King and ensuring a draw.
TEST 39: It is a big mistake because White can now save the game with
2.QxgS+!, forcing 2.. .fxg5, which makes the h4·square uninhabitable. Also
note that the g3-pawn can't move because it's pinned by the Black Queen.
Instead of the terrible l...Rg5??, Black could have played l...Qh5+ (getting
rid of all stalemate possibilities once and for all) 2.Kg2 Qd5+. Then a forced
exchange of Queens leads to an easily won endgame. The exchanging of
pieces when ahead in force is called simplification. When you have a large
advantage in material, trading pieces is often a good strategy because you
destroy your opponent's hopes of counterplay. Because Black is on the
attack, an even better approach than simplification is 1...Kg7!, which makes
2...Rh6+ unstoppable.
TEST 40: The attractive 1. ..h2?? is a blunder. True, after 2.Rxh2 Rh2+,
Black wins a Rook, but he forgets that 3.Kf3 Rxh2 will result in a stalemate!
TEST 41 : No. White canwin with 2.Kg3 Qel+ 3.Kg4, when he escapes
the checks. Taking the Queen leads to a stalemate after 2.Kxhl?? bl�Q+
3.Kh2 Qh1+! 4.Kg3 (4.Kxhl is an immediate stalemate) 4 ... Qxg2+!, which
forces White to capture Black's remaining piece. A draw follows.
212
CHAPTER TWENTy-FoUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
TEST 42: White is hoping for 2 ••• Qxg3??, when suddenly his King is stale
mated and all he needs to do is jettison his remaining two pieces. He plays
3.Qg8+! Kxg8 4.Rxg7+!. Now 4... Kxg7 or 4... Qxg7 leads to a stalemate,
and 4 .. Kfs 5.Rf7+! Kes 6.Re7+! also gets Black nowhere. White will keep
.
TEST 43: Ifs checkmate after l.Qxh7+! Bxh7 (this Bishop can't move now
because it is pinned by the Rook on hI) 2.Ng6. Note that the immediate
l.Ng6+ Bxg6 fails.
TEST 45: Black's King cannot cross over the d-file boundary because of
White's Rook on d5. The King also happens to be trapped on the 1st rank
because of White's other Rook on h7. White can draw by using his Knight
to harass the Black King: l .Nf6+ Kf8 2.Nd7+ Kg8 3.Nf6+, and so on.
TEST 46: Black can force a draw with 1 . Nxg5! (preparing a forced entry
••
TEST 47: Black has a pretty way to save himself with 1 . Rxh2+! 2.Kgl •.
2 Qxg3 +!
(White would lose after 2.Kxh2? Rxf2+, with a quick checkmate) •••
(a nice way to connect the Rooks on the 7th rank) 3.fxg3 Rag2+ 4.Kf1
Rf2+ resulting in a draw.
TEST 48: Kick the door open with l .Qxh7+! Kxh7 2.Rh3 Checkmate.
TEST 49: White gets crushed by 1 . Qxg3+! because after2.Kxg3, the King's
•.
cover is destroyed and the King is in a vulnerable position with few available
moves. When the dB-Bishop joins in with 2 ••• Bh4, the game is over because
checkmate has been called!
21 3
PART 3: More Tesls and Soiulions
TEST 50: White starts to sacrifice his pieces in an effort to expose the Black
King: 1.Rxf6! gxf6 2.Qg4 (threatening to move the g6-Knight for a strong
discovered check) 2 f5 (attacking the Queen and attempting to keep the
•••
White Rook out of the battle. Black avoids 2 .. .fxe5 3.Nxe5+ Khs 4.Nf7
Checkmate) 3.Ne7++ (White's Queen is still safe because Black's King is
in a double check) 3 Kf8 4.Nxf5!! (tearing down the wall). Now White's
•••
remaining pieces will hunt down Black's undefended King: 4 Bxf5 •••
Checkmate (or 6... Kg7 7.Qg6+ Khs S.Nf7 Checkmate). A good demonstra
tion of the power of the discovered check!
TEST 52: By sacrificing his Queen, White forces the Black King to embark
on a death march: l .Qxh7+!! Kxh7 2.Nxf6++ (the Knight can't be cap
tured because the King is attacked by both the Knight and the Bishop-a
double check) 2 ••• Kh6 (stepping back with 2... Khs is not advisable because
the King is then stalemated, and any check, such as 3.Ng6, is checkmate)
3.Neg4+ Kg5 4.h4+ Kf4 5.g3+ Kf3 (a noble gesture, but it's very unusual
for a King to lead its whole army into battle because the front line faces the
fiercest fights-here, the King turns out to be the first major casualty)
214
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
6.Be2+ Kg2 7.Rh2+ Kgl S.Kd2 Checkmate. The White King is not
actually delivering checkmate here. It merely steps out ofthe way ofthe Rook
on al. Thus, we have a very rare discovered checkmate. Heed the warning:
This fate often awaits adventurous Kings!
twice. After
2.Qxc7! Qxc7 3.ReS, White conquers the back rank for
checkmate. A much safer first move for Black is 1...g6, when White has to
take the threat of2 ...Rxa2 seriously. Best of all is 1 ...Ne6! blocking the e-file,
preparing ...Ra8xa2.
TEST 54: A terrible move is 1 . .. Qxa2?, which allows 2.Ral . The Queen
is then pinned and lost If Black tries to wriggle free with a move like
2 ••• Qxb2, White plays 3.RaS for a back rank checkmate.
TEST 55: This time it doesn't work! After 1.Qe8+ Rxe8 2.RxeS+, Black
can safely block the check with 2 ••• BfS, when White has insufficient
compensation for his sacrificed Queen.
TEST 56: The greedy pawn grab l ••• Qxa2?? loses to 2.Qe8+! Rxe8 (2...Bf8
3.Qxd8 leaves White with an extra Rook) 3.Rxe8+ BfS 4.Bh6!. The pin
means Black is powerless to prevent 5.RxfS Checkmate.
TEST 58: With 1 . Qe3!, Black wins at once. The idea is to pull the Rook
••
from its important defensive post on h3. White resigns because 2.Rxe3
allows 2...Rh2+ followed by 3...Reg2 Checkmate, and 2.Rxf2 succumbs to
2 ... Qxh3+ 3.Kgl Qg3+ 4.Rg2 Qxg2 Checkmate. Note that 2.Rh4 Qf3+ is
also deadly.
215
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
TEST 59: By deflecting the Queen of course! With a little thought, you
should be able to come up with l.Rxc8!, which draws the Queen away from
the protection of the f6-Bishop. Black resigns rather than face 1 . . .Qxc8
2.Nxf6+ (I already have a lead of 6 points vs. 5, but to top it off 1 am fork
ing Black's King and Rook) 2 Kg7 3.Nxd7, and 1 will end up with an
•••
extra piece.
TEST 60: With l .Bd5!, 1 brought my extra piece into the attack. This move
threatens some big discovered checks, attacks Black's Rook, and attempts
to draw the Queen away from the protection of the e8-square (1...Qxd5 Ieads
to 2.Qe8 Checkmate) . Black replies with1. . .Rg4+ 2.Kf2 Qc5 (preventing
the possibility of3.Qe8 by pinning my Queen to my King) 3.Rxc7+!. Black
resigns. He can save his Queen with 3...Qxd5, but then my Queen is freed
from the pin, and 4.Qe8 Checkmate follows.
TEST 61: White can snuff out all resistance with 1 .Rb8!! and the threat of
2.Qg7 Checkmate. (The Rook can't take the Queen because it's pinned.)
Black has no good answer to this move because l...RxbB allows 2.Qg7
Checkmate, and l...Qxb8 runs into 2.Nxf7 Checkmate.
TEST 63: White can win a pawn with I.Nb6! axb6 2.axb6. The defender
is forced to run away with 2 ••• Rcc8. After 3.Rxd7 Rxd7 4.Qxd7 Qxd7
5.Rxd7, White also enjoys a Rook on the 7th. Though this play is excellent
for White, even stronger is l.b4!, which leaves Black powerless to prevent
2.Nc5 (l...b6 2.axb6 axb6 3.Nxb6 is no help). By exploiting the pin in this
way, White makes even greater gains.
TEST 64: White should activate his Rook with l.RdI!, taking over the all·
important d·file and threatening to win a Knight with 2.Rd7 +, which forks
the King and Knight. If White plays the slow and cowardly 1.a4 to free the
21 6
CHAPTER TWENTY-FoUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
Rook from its duties as defender of the a-pawn, then l...Rd8 enables Black
to claim rights to the Mile_
TEST 65: !fyou tried l.Rxh5 hoping for 1...gxh5?? 2.Qxh7 Checkmate, you
lose any brownie points you might have gained {rom previous tests because
Black plays l...Nxd3+ and your Bishop disappears from the board with
check! Then 2.Kbl gxh5 3.Rxh5 allows 3 .. .f5, when the Queen defends the
h7-pawn from c7. The correct answer is the surprising l .Qxh7+!!, to which
Black responds t •.. Kxh7. White has created a pin along the b l-h7 diagonal
that allows him to blast open the h-file with gain of tempo. After 2.Rxh5+,
Black can't take the Rook because his g6-pawn is pinned by the Bishop.
Black is checkmated after 2 .•. Kg7 3.Rh7+ Kg8 4.Rh8+ Kg7 5.Rth7.
In this contest of attacks (Black threatens Nxd3) , White triumphs because
all his moves come with check.
TEST 66: White can win a whole piece with l.Rxc6! because t ... Bxc6?
allows 2.Bc4+ Bd5 3.Bxd5 Checkmate.
TEST 67: Playing 1 . .Bxa4 wins a piece and stops the threatened Knight
.
fork. Normally, this move would be ideal but it doesn't take White's tactical
threats along the a2-g8 and al-h8 diagonals into account. White forces
checkmate with 2.Qxf6+! Bxf6 3.Bxf6.
TEST 68: This position is almost identical to the one in Testfil. In that case,
White won by placing his Queen on c3 and forcing checkmate on the long
diagonal. Here, White needs to get his Knight out of the way to do the same
thing. After the unfortunate 1 ...b5?, White delightedly plays 2.Nxb5!.
Black doesn't have time for 2...axb5 because 3.Qc3 produces an inevi-
table checkmate.
TEST 69: White eradicates all life on Black's side of the board with l.Rxe7!!
(a clearance sacrifice-the Rook blocked White's real intentions so he
throws it to the winds-see Chapter Ten for a more detailed explanation on
this tactic) 1 Qxe7 2.Qxc6+! bxc6 3.Ba6 Checkmate.
...
217
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
TEST 71: By sacrificing his Rook with l .Rh5!!, White is able to pull Black's
Rook away from the White pawns. Black gives up because after 1...Rxh5
2.fxe7, he cannot stop 3.e8=Q.
TEST 72: White turns his f-pawn into an unstoppable passed pawn after
1 Qc8+ Kh7 2.Qxe6!. Black is down a Rook after 2
. fxe6 3.f7, and a
•••
TEST 73: Strangely enough, Black actually wins this position! He can initi
ate a breakthrough combination with 1 ••• f4! 2.004 (2.gxf4 h4! followed by
3... h3 Ieads to a quick Queen) 2
h4! (threatening to queen with 3...h3 and
•••
then win) 3.gxh4 g3! 4.fxg3 e3. White resigns because Black can crown
a new Queen. (You might want to compare this position with the one in
Diagram 87.)
TEST 74: No, Black could force a draw after Lf8�Q?? with Qg5+! , when no
matter how the Queen is captured, a stalemate results. Correct is l.f8�R!,
when White's huge material advantage (14 points vs. 9 points) leads to
eventual victory. For example, after 1...Qh6+ 2.Kg4 Qg6+ 3.Kh3, Black runs
out of checks. Or 1 ...Qd1+ 2.Rf3 Qd5+ 3.R8f5 Qd1 (pinning the Rook on f3)
4.Rf7+ Kg8 5.Kg6 Qb1+ 6.R3f5 leads to 7.Rf8+ and a win.
TEST 75: Most people would play l.c8=Q??, but this move leads to a draw
after 1... Qf7 +, which forks White's King and Rook. Instead of blindly pursu
ing a new Queen, you can secure an easy win with l.c8�N+I, when White's
new Knight scores a royal fork!
218
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
TEST 76: White's Queen stops me from playing Qf3, so I first give up my
Rook with l . ..Rc1! to put an end to the Queen's guard duty ofthe f3-square.
After 2.Qxc1 (2.Qxg4 is impossible because White's Queen is pinned to his
King), I can finally put my Queen where I want it with 2 ... Qf3+. White can't
face 3.1\g1 Nh3 Checkmate, so he resigns.
TEST 79: White can force checkmate by luring Black's King forward with
1 .g5+! Kxg5 2.Qf4.
TEST 60: Desperate measures are clearly called for because White will
checkmate Black as soon as he gets a free move. Black wants to get his
Bishop to f3, so he plays 1 ...Qh 1 + n, forcingWhite's Kingto the unfortunate
hi-square. After 2.Kxh1 Bf3 +, Black puts his Bishop on f3 with a check
and a gain of tempo. White is the one to be checkmated after 3.Kg1 Rdl.
TEST 62: White sees that his Bishop needs the c7-square if his upcoming
attack on Black's King is to be successful. Because his Rook is in the way,
he forces Black to take it by playing l.Rc6+!, which leads to Bxc6 2.Nc5+
Ka5 3.Bc7 Checkmate.
219
PART 3: More Tests and Solutions
TEST 83: White gets his Queen off the important h6-square with l .Qe6+!,
after which either 1. ..Nxe6 or l. ..Bxe6 are met by 2.Nh6 Checkmate.
TEST 85: Yes, he can. With 1 ...Nxd3!, Black wins an important pawn, and
with 2...c4, he intends to cement his Knight on the d3-square. If White tries
to take the Knight with 2.Rxd3, Black wins with a nice x-ray: 2 ... Qxdl +!
3.Qxdl (3.Rxdl leads to Rxdl+ 4.Qxdl Rxdl Checkmate) 3 ...Rxd3. Now
both 4.Qe2 Rdl+ and 4.00 Rdl lead to the capture of White's Queen
and a subsequent Rook vs. Bishop advantage (2 points) .
TEST 86: White can create a windmill with l .Qxg7+! Nxg7 2.Rxg7+
Kh8 3.Rxd7+ Kg8 4.Rg7+ Kh8 5.Rxb7+ Kg8 6.Rxb2, after which
White is suddenly up a full piece!
TEST 87: White could set up awindmill with l .Qe7 +! Nxe7 2.Rxe7 + Qb7
3.Rxb7+ Ka8 4.Rxb5+ Ka7 5.Rh7+ Ka8 6.Rd7+ Kb8 7.Rxdl, after
which Black has lost all his pieces.
220
CHAPTER TWENTY-FoUR: Solutions to Tests from Part 1
TEST 89: If White plays l .e4??, Black creates a blockade with I . .. dxe4
2.dxe4 Nxe4+! 3.fxe4 Rxe4, followed by ... Rc4 and . Ra4. Then White's
..
TEST 90: White can squeeze a draw by giving up his remaining piece to
create a fortress: 1.&7+!! Rxa7 2.b6 RaS 3.Kc3 (having completely
closed the Queenside, White must rush over to the other wing and try to
keep the enemy Rook from penetrating on the g-file) 3 Bxg4 4.Kd2 Kc8
•••
5 Kel Kd7 6.Kfl Rg8 7.Kgl! Bh5+ S.Khl!. The game is a draw because
.
neither the Black King nor the Bishop can penetrate White's position,
and if the Black Rook stays on the g-file with B... Rg2, the game ends in
stalemate.
TEST 91 : With 1 . Bxf5! 2.Kxf5 KhS, Black can reach a basic draw. See
••
TEST 92: Show White that you had it all worked out and were never really
in trouble by playing 1 . Nxg4! 2.Nxg4 Bxg4 3.Kxg4 Kf6 followed by
••
...Kg7 and ... KhB. The game is a draw·because the h-pawn is crowned on the
opposite color to the Bishop. Review the position in Diagram 123 for a
reminder of why White cannot win here.
221
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • •
• • • •� • • • • • • • • • • • • • r• • • • • • r.
Solutions to
Tests from Part 3
he tests in Part 3 are different from those in Part 1. First, they are far
T more difficult and have no clues explaining which tactics to look for.
Second, they are part of a larger picture. As you read the following
solutions, you'll notice that I've assigned each problem a certain number of
points, and I suggest that you keep a written record of your score. At the
end of this chapter is a chart you can use to determine how well you
absorbed the information I presented.
No matter how you fared, I hope this book has helped you appreciate
the beautiful world of tactics and combinations and that you will one day
produce your own brilliancies.
• TEST 95: This position demonstrates two kinds of forks. White is doubled
on the dile, but at the moment, this file is blocked. After l.Bxe5+!
(which forks the King and Rook) , White opens the c-file with again oftempo.
223
PART 3: More Tests and Solutions
Black can now choose between the loss of the Exchange with 1...Kg8
2.Bxb8, or the loss ofthe Queen with l...Nxe5 2.Rc7+ (which forks the King
and Queen) . Value: 2 points.
Qxf5 give Black a decisive material advantage. (Both 2.Qxa5 Rxbl+ and
2.Rdl Qxd2 3.Rxd2 Rbl+ lead to checkmate.) Value: 2 points.
• TEST 97: Here we have another back rank situation. If Black's Queen were
not defending his Rook, then Rxf8 would be checkmate. With this in
mind, White plays l.Qe5!, with the double threat of 2.Qxg7 Checkmate
and 2.Qxc5, which grabs a Queen. Black has to resign because l...Qxe5
takes his Queen away from his Rook and allows 2.RxfB Checkmate. Value:
2 points.
TEST 98: A hasty player might slide home with 1.cB=Q?? and expect his
opponent to give up. However, Black's King would then be stalemated and
the shocking l...Qxb2+!! would deliver both a draw and a harsh dose of
reality. White sees this possibility and makes a point of freeing the Black
King and stopping any stalemates with I .Rc4!. Then Black cannot prevent
2.cS-Q. Value: For 1.c8=Q??, -lpoint; for 1.Rc4. 2 points.
TEST 99: This position is silly, but it is a good demonstration of the power
of a double check. Believe it or not, just 12 moves produce a forced
l .Rf2++ Ke3 2.Rf3++ Ke4 3.Re3++ Kd4
checkmate, as follows:
4.Re4++ Kd5 5.Rd4++ Kc5 6.Rd5++ Ke6 7.Re5++ Kb6 S.Rc6++
Kb7 9.Rb6++ Ka7 1O.Rb7++ KaS 1 1 .Ra7++ KbS 12.Ra8 Checkmate.
Value: 1 point. I can hear you moaning about this meager earning, but
White's moves are all forced, so you really should have figured this one out.
224
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Solutions to Tests from Part 3
TEST 1 00: I am down a Rook, but I have a forced win because Black's Queen
is unprotected. The first thing I must do is regain my Rook with gain of
tempo by means of a zwischenzug: l .Qf8+ Ka7 2.Qxc5+. Now Black
2... Ka8 (2... Kb8 leads to 3.Qxe5+, which picks up a
must lose material:
pawn and the Knight) 3.Qc8+. Black resigns because 3 ... Ka7 4.Nb�
followed by Qxc2 10ses his Queen. Value: 2 points. For l.Qxc5??, -I point,
because then White loses to l...Qxb2+! 2.Kxb2 Nd3+ when the fork leaves
Black with a winning ending.
TEST 101 : Black must avoid becoming entranced by the fact that his Queen
is hanging because with 1 . .. Rf2 he can force a win. White resigns because
2.Qxel Rh2 is checkmate. Value: 1 point
TEST 1 02 : All of Black's pieces are undefended, and his back rank is weak.
Small wonder that White can find a tactic: l .Qe5!. Black gives up because
l...Qf6 2.Qxf4! Qxf4 3.Rd8+ is a quick checkmate (l ...Qxe5 2.Rd8+ also leads
to checkmate) . Value: 1 point.
TEST 103: White's h6-Bishop is guarded once and attacked once. If I could
play ... Qh4+, I would fork his King and Bishop, but atthe moment my Knight
is in the way. The answer then is to shove it aside with gain of tempo:
1 . .. Nxe4! 2.Nxe4 Qh4+ 3.g3 Qxh6 4 0 0 0 Qxd2+. My extra pawn
. - -
TEST 1 05: Whenever I see a King in the center, I look for possible checks
against it Here, I captured White's center pawns by creating the following
fork: 1 . . .Nxd4! 2.Nxd4 Qh4+ 3.g3 Qxd4, with the e5·pawn next to fall.
Value: 1 point.
225
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
TEST 107: With the pretty l .QhB+!, White can create a fork. Black resigns
because 1...KxhS 2.Nxf7 + Kg7 3.Nxg5 leaves him with a hopeless endgame.
Value: 1 point.
Qxe5 3.Bxe5 dxe5 4.Qe4+ Kf6 5.f41. White wins in another ten moves.
Value: 2 points.
. TEST 1 09: White wins beautifully by first stalemating the Black King and
then making use of a discovered-check tactic: LRhB+!! NxhB (hemming
in Black's King with his own Knight) 2.Qh7+! (forcing Black's King onto
the diagonal occupied by White's light-squared Bishop) 2 Kxh7 3.Rh5++
•••
(forcing the King back into its stalemated hole with a double check)
3 KgB 4.Bh7 Checkmate. Value: 3 points.
•••
TEST 1 1 0: Black notices that with 1...Nf3, he can attack White's Queen.
Unfortunately, White can simply move the Queen to safety. However, if
White's King were on gl or h2, then ...Nf3 would be a fork. Black's plan,
then, is to force White's King onto one of the squares where the ...Nf3 fork
can occur: 1 Rdl+ 2.Kg2 Rgl+!. Now both 3.Kxgl and 3.Kh2 allow
•••
3...Nf3+ with a fork on the King and Queen, so White resigns. Value: 2 points.
226
CHAPTER TWENTY·FIVE: Solutions to Tests from Pan 3
TEST 1 1 3: Seeing that White can't take on f3 because of a ... Nd4+ fork,
Black hounds the White King so badly that he finally forces a fork, as follows:
1 . d5+! 2.cxd5 (otherwise, 2.Kxf3 Nd4+ wins) 2 exd5+ 3.Kxd5 Be6+!
•• ••
(trying for the same fork) 4.Kd6 (4.Kxc6 Rc8+ skewers White's Queen,
whereas 4.Kxe6 Nd4+ is a royal fork) 4 Rd8+ 5.Kc7 Rf7 + 6.Kxc6 Rc8+
•••
7.Kd6 Rxc2. Then Black's material advantage gives him an easy win.
Value: 4 points.
TEST 1 1 4: The first part of the solution to this test is based on the fact that
Black's c6·Knight cannot move without losing the Queen on a5. The final
part is a fork at the end of the game. This is the solution: l.Nde5+!! fxe5
2.Nxe5+ Kf6 (2...Ke7 10ses to both 3.Nxc6+ and 3.Qxc6! Nxc6 4.Nxc6+, the
winning move) 3.Qxa5 Nxa5 4.Rxb8! RhxbS 5.RxbS Rxb8 6.Nd7+
Ke7 7.NxbS. White emerges with a winning endgame. Value: 5 points.
TEST 1 1 5: With Black's Bishop and Queen lined up on the long open
diagonal, White's King is precariously placed. If Black could somehow open
the a-file, then a Rook check would finish off the poor King. Black first
227
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
available to the cS-Rook. Then 2.bxc7 Nb4+! (forcing the opening of the
a-file) 3.axb4 Ra8+ 4.KbI Ral achieves checkmate. Value: 4 points.
TEST 1 16: I won this game by setting Black up for a Bishop fork. Here's
how: 1.fxe5! Bxe5 (1...fxe5? 2.Bg5+ forces the capture of materia\)
2.Nxb6! Nxb6 3.Bxc5+ Kd7 4.Bxb6, and my material advantage leads
to an easy win. Value: 3 points.
TEST 1 1 7: Both Kings are feeling the heat, and it's just a matter of which
one will be the first to be checkmated. Seeing that Black threatens l...Re4+,
White realizes that she has no time for Quiet moves. Aware of the power of
doubled Rooks on the 7th, she plays 1 .Qg7+! Kxg7 2.Rfxf7+ (doubling
the Rooks on the 7th with tempo) 2 ...Kg8 3.Rg7+ Kb8 4.Rh7+ KgB
5.Rbg7 Checkmate. Value: 3 points.
TEST 1 1 9: Black would love to play l...Qdl Checkmate, but his Bishop is
in the way. This neat space-clearing sacrifice enables Black to get his way:
I ... Bf5! (blocking the Queen's access to dl. Now both 2.Qxf5 and 2.Nxf5
lose to 2 ... Qdl Checkmate) 2.Qf3 Bd3!+ (forcing the King to give up
control of the el-square). White resigns becauseboth 3.KgI ReI and 3.Qxd3
Qdl are checkmate. Value: 2 points.
TEST 1 20: White sees the possibility of Rxb7+ Checkmate and heads right
for it with I.RbI!. Because 2.Qxb6 Checkmate is threatened and because
l...Qxc5 loses to 2.Rxb7 Checkmate, Black has no choice but to play
1. .. Nd7, defending his Queen and attacking White's Queen on c5. Now the
elegant 2.Qd4! puts White's Queen out of the reach of Black's Knight and
threatens3.Rxb6. (Note that 3... Qxbl is not possible because Black's Queen
is pinned to his King.) With no further options left, Black gives in to the
inevitable with 2...Qxd4 3.Rxb7 Checkmate. Value: 3 points.
228
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Solulions to Tesls from Part 3
TEST 1 2 1 : The d-pawn is a big Queening threat, and Black must also watch
out for back rank checkmates. White takes advantage of these factors with
l .Rc8! Rxc8 (avoiding l...Qxd7 2.QfS+! Rxfs 3.RxfS Checkmate) 2.Qe7!!.
A stunning shot. White now threatens 3.Qxe6 followed by 4.dxc8�Q, and
2 ... RgS 3.d�Q Rxds 4.QxdS+ leads to checkmate. Taking the Queen with
2...Qxe7 also fails to 3.dxc8�Q+ and an eventual checkmate. Having no other
options, Black resigns. Value: 3 points.
TEST 1 22: Based on the undefended state of the Black Queen, White has
this shocking continuation: l .Ne6!! (threatening 2.Qg7 Checkmate)
1. ••N6h5 (defending the g7-sQuare but leaving himself open for a quick
checkmate; however, Black can't capture the impudent White Knight be
cause l...Nxe6 2.Qxd2 drops the Black Queen, and l....fxe6 2.Rxg6+ Kf7
:tRg7+ also leads to Black's demise) 2. Q$+ Kh7 3.Ng5 Checkmate.
Value: 3 points.
TEST 1 24: White can force checkmate in nine moves by drawing Black's
King out into the open. Here's how:l.Qh6+!! Kxh6 (l...KhS leads to
2.Qxh7+! Kxh7 3.hxg6++ Kg7 4.Rh7+ Checkmate) 2.hxg6+ Kg5 3.Rh5+!
(a sacrifice that allows the f-pawn and the Bishop to join in the attack with
gain of tempo) 3Kxh5 4.f4+ Nxe2 5.Nf6+ (an important move that
•••
keeps Black's King away from g4) 5 Kh6 6.Rh! + Kg7 7.Ne8+! (drawing
•••
the Rook away from the defense of the f7-pawn) 7 Rxe8 8.Rxh7+ Kf6
•••
9.Rxf7 Checkmate. Value: 4 points if you saw the whole scenario. Give
229
PARl 3: More Tests and Solutions
yourself 1 point if you found l.Qh6+, 2 points if you also found 3.RhS+, and
3 points if you then found 414+.
TEST 1 is: I had been playing for this position for some time. The audience
was convinced that Black had everything defended, but I had this possibility
of a Knight fork and an easy winning ending: 1.Bxe6+! Bxe6 2.Qf8+! Kxt8
3.Nxe6+ Ke7 4.Nxc7. Now Black has the choice of losing his dS·pawn or
protecting it with 4 ...Kd6, which allows S.Ne8+, forking yet another pawn.
Black chooses to resign instead. Value: 2 points.
TEST 1 21>: White can pursue a powerful checkmating attack with 1 .Nf6+
(stalemating the Black King) 1 . KhS 2.Qg6!! (spectacular! White's Queen
..
is hanging in two ways, and his Knight onf6 is also hanging. The immediate
threat is 3.Qxh7 Checkmate) 2...Qc2 (defending the h7-pawn-alI de-
fenses by captures lose: 2...hxg6 3.Rh3 Checkmate; 2 .. .fxg6 3.Nxg6+! hxg6
4.Rh3 Checkmate; and 2...gxf6 3.Qxf6+ Ng7 4.Rg3 Rg8 s.Nxf7+ picks up
Black's Queen) 3.Rh3! Qxg6 (3 ...fxg6 is met by 4.Rxh7 Checkmate)
4.Nxg6+ fxg6 5.Rxh7 Checkmate. Value: 4 points. If you saw 1.Qg6. give
yourself 1 point. If you also saw that all defenses by captures lose for Black,
give yourself 2 points, and if you spotted the 2... Qc2 defense, give yourself
3 points.
TEST 1 27: White's Knight is trapped. He could give up his remaining pawn
to save the Knight with Us? Kg3 2.Ng6 Kg4 3.Ne7 BxfS, producing a draw.
However, by using the double-attack and discovered-check tactics, White
can save everything and win the game. Here's how: 1.Bc7! Kg3 2.Ng6!
Bxg6 3.f5+ (threatening both King and Bishop) 3...Kg4 4.fxg6, giving
White a new Queen. Value: 3 points.
TEST 1 28: A series of pins signals the end forWhite: 1. ..Rg5+ 2.Rg2 Qc5+
3.Qf2 (3.Khl leads to RhS+ 4.Rh2 ReeS!, after which the threat of
S... Rxh2+ followed by 6... RhS is decisive) 3 ...Re2!! 4.Rxg5 (4.QxcS results
in Rgxg2+ S.Khl Rh2+ 6.Kgl Reg2 Checkmate) 4... Qxg5+. White resigns.
Value: 4 points.
230
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Solutions to Tests from Part 3
TEST 1 29: At first, this position looks rather dull. There is no hint of
suspense in the air. However, after 1 .f7! Kg7 2.fS-Q+! Kxfs 3.Rfl+,
Black is lost because of this very nice pin: 3 Kg7 (playing 3...Ke7 means
•••
White wins a Rook with 4.Rfel!) 4.Rg2+ Kh6 5.Rhl+ Rh3 6.Rgh2!. White
achieves his objective of winning a Rook. Value: 4 points.
TEST 1 30: Black uses two types of pins to attack the White King: 1. Ng4+!
.•
3.Kal Be7 4.Nf3 Bf6+ 5.Ne5+ Ke7 6.Qxh4!! (the goal ofl.Nf4: White's
sixth move is not possible with Black's pawn on gS) 6 Bxh4 (forestalling
•••
7.Qxf4 and an easy win for White) 7.Nxg6+ S.Nxh4, and a win for White.
Value: 5 points. If you saw that 1.h8=Q is good for Black, give yourself 1
point, but if you didn't find l.Nf4, you get no further credit.
TEST 132: At first glance, this position looks completely hopeless for White
because he can't prevent Black from crowning his h2-pawn with check.
However, White has only one pawn that can move, so he plays for stalemate
231
PART 3 : More Tests and Solutions
with l.h7+ Kh8 2.Bg7+ Kxh7 (now White has no more pawn moves, but
his King seems to have plenty of places to go to) 3.Bal +! (excellent-this
move takes the aI-square away from the White King and simultaneously
deprives the Bishop of any moves) 3 Kg6 4.Rxc6+ Khs S.Kh2!! (the
•••
goal of White's play: when Black promotes his pawn, White's King will have
no legal moves) S hI-Q (forced, because White threatens to stop the
•••
promotion with RcI; White now gets rid of his last mobile piece) 6.Rh6+!
Kxh6 Stalemate! Value: 5 points. A tough test! What's more, you get credit
only for the answer given!
TEST 1 33: White can force checkmate by placing Black's King in a stale
mated position so that any check is checkmate. This is the solution:
l .QgS+!! BxgS 2.hxgS+ KhS (Black thinks he is safe because the pinned
pawn prevents White from playing g4) 3.Rh8! (threatening ... Rxh7 Check
mate) 3 Qxh8 (abandoning the pin) 4.g4 Checkmate. Value: 3 points.
•••
TEST 1 34: The enticing 1 . .. Rxc3?? looks like a winning possibility, but it
is actually a losing blunder. Black sees that2.Qxc3?? Qb I leads to checkmate
and 2.bxc3?? Qxc2 drops the White Queen. So how can such a first move be
bad? Look to Black's back rank forthe answer: 2.Rd8+ BfS 3.Bf4!! (giving
the White King a place to run to and also threatening 4.Bh6 with a quick
checkmate) 3 QaS (after 3... QaI+ 4.Kh2 Rxc2 5.Bh6, Black will be check
•••
mated) 4.Rxf8+ Kxf8 S.Qxc3. Down a piece, Black gives up after a few
more moves. Value: 3 points.
TEST 1 35: Black expects the defensive l.Be2, but instead White shatters
the pin by jumping to the attack: l.NxeS! Bxdl 2.BbS+ c6 (after 2... Nd7
3.Bxd7+ Qxd7 4.Nxd7, White ends up with an extra piece) 3.dxc6 (threat
ening discovered checks with 4.c7 or 4.cxb7) 3 Qb6 (also hopeless for
•••
Black is 3...a6, which leads to a White win after 4.c7+ axbs 5.cxd&=Q+ Rxds
6.Nxdl) 4.cxb7+ QxbS S.bxa8-Q+. Black resigns. Value: 3 points.
232
CHAPTER TWENTy-FIVE: Solutions to Tests from Part 3
Kxg7 7.Qh7+ Kf8 8.Qh8+ Ke7 9.Qg7+ Ke8 10.Qg8+ Ke7 1 1 .Qf7+
Kd8 1 2.Qf8+ Qe8 13.Nf7+ Kd7 14.Qd6 Checkmate. Value: 5 points.
Give yourself 1 point for LRxe7, another point for realizing that 3... KhS is
forced and that 3...Kfs allows the winning 4.Nxh7+ Ke8 5.Nxf6+. Give
yourself a third point for sacrificing a Rook with 6.Qh4+.
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PART 3: More Tests and Solutions
91-100 points You can tactically hold your own with some of the
best players in the world.
101 and higher Warn me if we play, and I'll make a point of keeping
the game simple and boring.
234
•••••••_•r •r
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Glossary
Active: In relation to an opponent's style, denotes a preference for aggressive
or tactical types of play. Otherwise, means an aggressive move or position.
Algebraic notation: Many ways of writing chess moves have been devised
over the years. In fact, there are probably as many ways of writing chess
moves as there are languages. However, algebraic notation has become the
international standard.
Essentially, each square on the chessboard is given a letter and a
number. The files are assigned the letters a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h, from left
to right from White's perspective. The ranks are assigned the numbers 1 ,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, from bottom to top from White's perspective. Thus, the
bottom left corner is square al and the top right comer is square hs.
When a piece travels from one square to another, algebraic notation
enables you to identify the piece and the square to which it is moving. FOI·
example, if the Rook moves from square al to square a8, you write Ra8.
For pawn moves, you write only the square to which the pawn moves; for
example, e4. Castling Kingside is written 0-0, and castling Queenside is
written 0-0·0. In this book, algebraic notation is sometimes referred to as
chess notation or simply notation.
235
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
Bishop pair: Two Bishops vs. a Bishop and a Knight or two Knights. Two
Bishops work well together because they can control diagonals of both
colors. See also Opposite-colored Bishops.
236
Glossary
When White castles Kingside, he moves his King from el to gi and his
hI-Rook to f1. When Black castles Kingside, he moves his King from e8 to
g8 and his h8-Rook to f8. When White castles Queenside, he moves his King
from el to cl and his aI-Rook to d1. And when Black castles Queenside, he
moves his King from e8 to c8 and his a8-Rook to d8.
Center: The center is the area of the board encompassed by the rectangle
c3-c6-f6-f3. Squares e4, d4, e5, and d5 are the most important part of the
center. The e- and d-files are the centerfiles.
Checkmate: An attack against the enemy King from which the King cannot
escape. When a player checkmates his opponent's King, he wins the game.
Classical: A style of play that focuses on the creation of a full pawn center.
Classical principles tend to be rather dogmatic and inflexible. The philosophy
of the classical players was eventually challenged by the so-called
"hypermoderns." See also Hypermodern.
Connected passed pawns: Two or more passed pawns of the same color on
adjacent files. See also Passed pawn.
237
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
Counterplay: When the player who has been on the defensive starts his
own aggressive action.
Double attack: An attack against two pieces or pawns at the same time.
Double check: A discovered attack that checks the King with two pieces.
The King is forced to move, and the enemy army is thus frozen for at least
one move.
Doubled pawns: Two pawns of the same color lined up on a file. This
doubling can only come about as the result of a capture.
238
Glossary
Draw: A tied game. A draw can result from a stalemate, from a three-time
repetition of position, or by agreement between the players. See also Stale
mate; Three-time repetition of position.
Elo rating: The system by which players are rated. Devised by Professor
Arpad Elo (1903- ) of Milwaukee and adopted by FIDE in 1970. A beginner
might have a 900 rating, the average club player 1600, a state champion 2300,
and the World Champion 2800.
Endgame: The third and final phase of a chess game. An endgame arises
when few pieces remain on the board. The clearest signal that the ending
is about to begin is when Queens are exchanged.
Exchange, The: Winning the Exchange means you have won a Rook (5
points) for a Bishop or a Knight (3 points).
FIDE: The acronym for Federation Internationale des Echecs, the interna
tional chess federation.
Flank: The a-, b-, and c-files on the Queenside, and the f-, g-, and h-files on
the Kingside.
239
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
Force: Material. An advantage in force arises when one player has more
material than his opponent or when he outmans his opponent in a certain
area of the board.
Gambit: The voluntary sacrifice of at least a pawn in the opening, with the
idea of gaining a compensating advantage (usually time, which permits
development) .
Half-open file: A file that contains none of one player's pawns but one or
more of his opponent's.
240
Glossary
Initiative: When you are able to make threats to which your opponent must
react, you are said to possess the initiative.
Kingside: The half of the board made up of the e, f, g, and h files. Kingside
pieces are the King, the Bishop next to it, the Knight next to the Bishop,
and the Rook next to the Knight. See also Queenside.
Luft: A Gennan tenn that means air. In chess, it means to give the King breath
ing room. It describes a pawn move made in front of the King of the same
color to avoid back rank mate possibilities.
Master: In the US, a player with a rating of 2200 or more. Ifa player's rating
drops below 2200, the title is rescinded. See also Grandmaster.
241
WINNING CHESS TAGICS
Material: All the pieces and pawns. A material advantage is when a player
has more pieces on the board than his opponent or has pieces of greater
value. See also Point count
Open: Short for open game or open file. Also refers to a type of tournament
in which any strength of player can participate. Though a player often ends
up with opponents who are stronger or weaker than himself, the prizes are
usually structured around different rating groups, with prizes for the top
scorers in each group. Such open tournaments are extremely popular in the
United States. See also Open file; Open game.
Open file: A vertical column of eight squares that is free of pawns. Rooks
reach their maximum potential when placed on open files or open ranks.
• Castle early and get the King to safety, while at the same time
bringing the Rooks toward the center and placing them on p0-
tentially open files.
242
Glossary
Passed pawn: A pawn whose advance to the 8th rank cannot be prevented
by any enemy pawn and whose promotion to a piece is therefore inevitable.
See also Promotion; Underpromotion.
Pawn structure: Also referred to as the pawn skeleton. All aspects of the
pawn setup.
Perpetual check: When one player places his opponent in check, forcing a
reply, followed by another check and another forced reply, followed by
another check that repeats the first position. Because such a game could be
played forever, after the position repeats itself, the game is declared a draw.
See also Three-time repetition of position.
243
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
Pig: Slang for Rook. Pigs on the 7th is a common term for Rooks doubled on
the 7th rank.
Pin: When one player attacks a piece that his opponent cannot move
without losing a different piece of greater value. When the piece of greater
value is the King, this tactic is called an absolute pin; when it is not the King,
the tactic is called a relative pin.
Point count: A system that gives the pieces the following numeric values:
King-priceless; Queen-9 points; Rook-5 points; Bishop-3 points;
Knight-3 points; and pawn-l point
Promotion: Also called queening. When a pawn reaches the 8th rank, it can
be promoted to a Bishop, Knight, Rook, or (most commonly) Queen of the
same color. See also Underpromotion.
Queenside: The half of the board that includes the d-, c-, b-, and a-files. The
Queenside pieces are the Queen, the Bishop next to it, the Knight next to
the Bishop, and the Rook next to the Knight. See also Kingside.
244
Glossary
Resign: When a player realizes that he is going to lose and graciously gives
up the game without waiting for a checkmate. When resigning, a player can
simply say, "I resign," or he can tip over his King in a gesture ofhelplessness.
When you first start playing chess, I recommend that you never resign.
Always play until the end.
Romantic: The Romantic (or Macho) era of chess from the early to mid-
1800s, when sacrifice and attack were considered the only manly ways to
play. If a sacrifice was offered, it was considered a disgraceful show of
cowardice to refuse the capture. Today, a player who has a proclivity for
bold attacks and sacrifices, often throwing caution to the wind, is called a
romantic.
Skewer: A threat against a valuable piece that forces that piece to move.
allowing the capture of a piece behind it.
245
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
Tempo: One move, as a unit of time; the plural is tempi. If a piece can reach
a useful square in one move but takes two moves to get there, it has lost a
tempo. For example, after l.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6, Black gains a tempo
and White loses one because the White Queen is attacked and White must
move his Queen a second time to get it to safety.
246
Glossary
Time: In this book, in addition to the common use of the word ("Black does
not have time to stop all of White's threats"), time is a measure of develop
ment Also refers to thinking time, as measured on a chess clock. See also
Tune control; Tempo.
Time control: The amount of time in which each player must play a
specified number of moves. In international competitions, the typical time
control is 40 moves in 2 hours for each player. After each player has made
40 moves, each is given an additional amount of time (usually 1 hour for 20
moves) . If a player uses up his time, but has not yet made the mandatory
number of moves, he loses the game by forfeil, no matter what the position
on the board.
247
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
Variation: One line of analysis in any phase of the game. It could be a line
of play other than the ones used in the game. The term variation is
frequently applied to one line of an opening; for example, the Wilkes-Barre
Variation (named after the city in Pennsylvania) of the Two Knights' Defense.
Variations can become as well-analyzed as their parent openings. Entire
books have been written on some well-known variations.
248
V'·
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Index
A back rank, continued castling, continued
absolute pins, 3!>-38, 41, 60, weak, 68-69, 76, 220, 224 rule, 236
87, 89, 100, 209-10 and x-rays, 111 center, 237
active, 235 basic tactics, 199 Chajes, 0., 164
advanced combinations. batteries, 79-88, 161 cbaturanga, 85
201, 203 �, Jonathan, l07 checks
advantage, 235 Bishops discovered, l2-14, 59, 114,
A1ekhine, Alexander, 30, 45, on adjacent diagonals, 87 205, 214, 238
152, 157, 163-73, 175, forks, 20 double, 15, 55, 142, 206,
185 hanging, 11 214, 224, 238
A1ekhine's Defense, 30 on open diagonals, 85-86 perpetual, 57-60, 118, 150,
algebraic notation, x, 235 opposite-colored. 243 243, 247
analysis, 235 pairs, 236 vs. pursuit, 119
Anderssen, Adolf, 13.'�-43, and Queens on diagonals, premature, 26
145-46, 151, 156, 167 86 when to avoid, 26
Andersson, UIf, 189 and Rook-Pawn vs. King, checkmate, 237
annotation, 236 128-29 back rank, 66-69, 112,
attacks, 236 blockades, 124-25, 236 136, 150, 162, 178,
discovered,9. 15, 84, 141, blunders, 236 215, 223
153, 199, 207, 223, 238 Botvinnik, Mikhail, 5, 106, and batteries, 82
with pawns, 32 175, 185 discovered,215
against SQuares, 205 Bradford, Texas Joe, 29 double, 15
and x-rays, 111, 113 breakthrough, 236 pure, 140
double, 6, 9, 22-32, 69, combinations, 91-93 smothered, 54-55, 245
108, 113, 147, 205, 238 building fortresses. 119, chess conventions, 3-7
and batteries, 82 122-30, 221 chess notation. See alge-
by pawns, 29-32 Bums, AmOs, 158 braic notation
mating, 242 chess terms, 3-7
Averbakh, Yuri, 6 classical, 237
C clearance sacrifices, 105-9,
Capablanca, Jose RauL 40, 156, 162, 217
B 157, 163, 166, 209 closed
back rank captures, forced, 105-6, 208 files, 79
checkmates, 66-69, 112, capturing en passan� 239 games (see positions,
136, 150--62, 215, castling, 61, 154, 165, 193 closed)
223, 241 Kingside, 237 combinations, 4-5, 14, 237
and batteries, 82 purpose of, 236 advanced, 201, 203
Kings on, 66 Queenside, 237 breakthrough, 91-93
249
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
250
Index
251
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
252
Index
253
WINNING CHESS TACTICS
254